Mirror People: Adventures Beyond the Looking Glass (Part 2)
by Lord Candycane
Summary: The adventures of Sam Crystal and the Barrets continue. With the human and fairy worlds no longer divided, Sam makes unexpected new allies and enemies as he finds himself on a journey through both worlds.
1. The Clan (Pt 1)

_Well, I did say this wasn't the end of Sam Crystal. Behold, the third installment in the Mirror People series._

* * *

 **The Clan**

* * *

There was once a time when the human world and the world of the fairies was kept apart. Mirror sprites, fairies that lived within the mystic mirror realm, scarcely revealed themselves to humans, and kept themselves hidden from watching eyes.

That all changed with the fairy boy Samson Crystal, or as he liked to be known as, Sam.

Sam came into contact with the human children, David and Janet. He showed them the fairy realm. Together, they fought and defeated Mirror Isabella the fairy girl. When they did that, the human realm and the fairy realm were united.

Now Sam and his sister Isabella were part of David and Janet's family. It was nothing the fairies had ever seen before, fairies and humans being part of the same family.

But Sam was truly an odd fairy boy. He wasn't like the other fairies. But for his differences, the fairies loved him.

As did the humans.

* * *

"I have something to show you," Sam told Janet as he navigated her through the outer regions of the fairy realm, holding her hands to keep her from straying away.

"Where are we going?" Janet asked, an excitable smile on her face as she tried to keep from giggling. She looked around at the beautiful forest that she was in.

"Something I should've showed you on the first days we were together," Sam told her as they exited the thicket of the woods. He led her to a large lake in the middle of the forest.

"We're here," Sam said, a bright smile on her face.

Janet stared at the stream. "Is that it?" She asked, confused. The lake was lovely looking indeed, but was it really that important that Sam had to have shown her on the first days they had met.

"Wait and see," Sam said, sensing Janet's disinterest. Janet crossed her arms and stared at the lake, waiting for something to happen.

She didn't have to wait long. Suddenly, the surface of the lake was breached and a bright blue fairy burst out from the water. Sam and Janet both screamed as they were showered with water.

The fairy girl stared at the two, her head above water. Janet stared at the beautiful fairy in awe, drying her hair at the same time.

"Janet," Sam said. "This is Brooklyn. She's a water sprite. A water fairy."

"Hi, Sam," Brooklyn cooed from in the water, and sprayed a blast of water at Sam. He dodged it.

"There are water fairies?" Janet asked in awe. "Cool!" She stood in silence for a moment, and then asked, "Are you a water fairy, Sam?"

Sam laughed and shook his head. "No, Janet, I'm a forest sprite, me and my siblings," He corrected. "We can speak to the animals of the forest."

To demonstrate, Sam made a whispering sound that Janet couldn't decipher, and suddenly, a black cat dashed out of the woods and to Sam's feet.

It was Ballard, Mirror Samson's pet mirror cat.

Sam picked up Ballard and held the cat in his arms. "You see, Janet?" He asked her. Janet nodded, and stared at the lake, where more water sprites were beginning to appear.

"So, how many types of fairies are there?" Janet asked.

"There's only three," Sam explained to her. "The forest sprites, the water sprites, and the air sprites."

"Where can I find air sprites?" Janet asked, curious.

"You'll usually find them in the mist," Sam told her. "They like to hide from the other fairies. We don't see them very often."

"Have you ever met one?" Janet asked, still staring at the water sprites.

"Once," Sam said. He didn't give any details, and Janet didn't ask for any. She was just interested in the possibility of actually experiencing seeing an air sprite.

While Sam was staring off at the forest, Janet bend over towards the lake to get a better look at the fairies. The water sprites stared at her, curiously.

As Janet's hands landed on the surface of the water, a young water sprite appeared from the water, staring Janet in the eyes with her own glowing blue irises.

"What type of fairy is this, Sam?" Brooklyn questioned, watching Janet curiously.

"Oh, she's not a fairy," Sam told her. "She's a human."

"A human?" The question seemed to come from all the water sprites present. Janet stared at the lake. No more water sprites had appeared, but for some reason she seemed more outnumbered than before.

"You didn't know?" Sam asked. "Me and Isabella were adopted. Humans are allowed in the mirror realm now. I thought all the fairies knew."

Janet smiled and nodded at what Sam said. The fairy closest to her stared at Janet suspiciously, and stretched her arms of the lake and towards Janet. As she rested her hands on Janet's wrists and started to tighten her grip on the girl, Sam immediately pounced towards the two, hissing.

The water sprite hissed back at Sam, and dove back into the lake. The other water sprites let out surprised shrieks and vanished underwater until only Brooklyn was left. She stared at Sam and Janet.

"Humans?" Was all she said.

"Seriously, I thought all of you fairies knew," Sam said, confused.

Brooklyn blinked once. "We didn't," She pointed out. "Maybe most of the fairies here, but not us."

"Well, I don't want any more surprises like this," Sam told her. "You go and tell the other water sprites that humans and fairies aren't separated anymore. Understand?"

Brooklyn didn't respond. She instead dove underwater, and instantly, the surface water became still. It was as if no fairies had ever been there.

Sam took Janet by the hand. "Come on, Janet, let's go home," He told her. Janet nodded, and the two started to head back to the inner regions of Sam's home area.

As they left, Sam took one last glance at the lake.

He didn't know that not all the fairies were aware of the human presence on the fairy realm. If they didn't know of this, he realized there might be trouble.

Sam pushed the thought out of his mind, and continued to follow Janet home.

* * *

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	2. The Clan (Pt 2)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: When did I say I wouldn't make another Goosebumps fanfiction? Didn't I make it clear I'd be making a follow up?_

 _I am a burglar: No, last I checked, you were in jail._

* * *

"I don't think I can do this!" David cried out in panic as he Isabella held his hand as the two ice-skated on the frozen tar pit, which had been encased in ice ever since the battle against Mirror Isabella.

"Don't be a crybaby, David," Isabella chastised him as she led him on the ice. David mumbled something inaudible.

Amanda, Sam's orphanage friend, watched from afar, clapping her hands. "Come on David, you can do it!" She encouraged. David gave a weak smile, and tried to balance himself on the ice.

Around the ice pit, the humans and fairies watched. After the freezing of the dreaded tar pit, it had become a sort of attraction where humans and fairies mingled. How fitting, some thought, that the area in which the humans and fairies had settled their differences was now the place where they'd be united.

Sam and Janet sat on the leg next to Kizzy and Lizzy, two fairy girls who had been guardians to the Crystal children. They watched as Isabella and David skated on the ice.

Sam and Janet didn't say a thing about they're meeting with the water sprites. Sam, in particular, was somewhat uncomfortable with the thought that not all the fairies were aware that humans were now allowed in the mirror realm, but he struggled to push the thought into the back of his head. After all, when Brooklyn informed the other sprites, the problem would be solved.

Mirror Samson, Sam's reflection, floated down to take a seat next to Sam and Janet.

"So, did you take Janet to see the water sprites?" He asked. He was the only person Sam had informed of this.

Sam nodded and gave a bright smile, but still kept quiet of what had happened while they were there. The moment he turned away from his reflection, Sam's face fell.

As Sam's eyes wandered, he could both see and feel a growing presence in the area. It was a fairy presence, so he knew that more fairies were entering the area.

He groaned as he realized that it was the water sprites.

It seemed the other fairies noticed the growing presence as well, as they all turned their heads around in the primary direction it was coming from. The humans, who couldn't sense fairies, didn't notice.

Slowly, but surely, the new arrivals made themselves visible.

Crawling out from the darkness of the forest, the water sprites walked with padded feet on the green ground. Water dripped from their face and hair as they advanced upon the area.

The humans, who could now see the water sprites, all turned to stare at them, wondering what they're arrival meant. Sam noticed that all the water sprites that were arriving were all adults. None of the fairies he and Janet met in the lake were among them.

Isabella noticed the fairies, and stopped skating.

"Hey, I'm doing it," David said as he started skating on his own, oblivious to what was going on around him. "Hey, are you seeing this? I'm skating! I'm-"

He finally stopped when he saw the other fairies entering the scene. Next to him, Isabella whispered, "Oh, crap."

One particularly large water sprite barged out from the trees and shoved past the smaller fairies. He had red hair with a blue streak in it. His massive chest jutted out, and his meaty arms swung by his sides. The water sprites all moved away to make room for him to show up.

Sam narrowed his eyes as he showed up. Janet scooted close to him and whispered, "Who is he?"

"His name is Cain," Sam whispered back, careful that the large, imposing water sprite didn't hear him.

The large fairy, known as Cain, stopped, and looked around, eyeing all the humans in the area. Brenda, Isabella's friend, hid behind Janet and whispered, "Great Scott, he's huge."

"Actually, I'm Irish," Cain said, flipping his shirt with his massive hands.

Now that all the water sprites were in the area, they all moved towards Cain and stood behind him. Clearly, he was their spokesperson.

"Well, isn't this an odd gathering," Cain sneered as he stared at the humans with contempt. "Was there a party we weren't invited to?"

"Why are you here, Cain?" One of the adult forest sprites asked.

"Well, I was out fishing when my neighbor Brooklyn told me a very peculiar story," Cain explained, pacing around, a jolly smile on his face. "She said that humans were being allowed in the mirror dimension. I figured she was lying, so I came over here just to tell you all what a ridiculous story she was spinning."

Then, his smile disappeared. "Only, it wasn't so ridiculous, was it?" He narrowed his eyes at someone in particular.

Sam realized that Cain was staring at him. He shrunk down.

"So, are you the boy everyone said was adopted by humans?" He asked, taking one giant step forward. The forest fairies hissed as he approached Sam, but Cain was not deterred.

Noticing Janet, Cain said, "Is this the human that Sam tamed?"

"I didn't tame anyone," Sam spoke out. "She's my sister."

"When have fairies and humans been brothers or sisters?" Cain asked, spreading his arms out to the side in disbelief.

"It's true," Janet said, smiling brightly.

Cain chucked, and turned to the other fairies. "Are you all hearing this?" He asked them. "Do you have any idea what they're saying? It's just nonsense, isn't it."

When the fairies didn't respond, Cain's eyebrows narrowed, and he grimaced.

"So it's come to this?" He asked with a low growl. "Have we fairies really lowered our dignity so much? Have I not been around to remind everyone of how nature works?"

Cain's anger was only piqued when, once more, he got no response. He paced around, and said, "Well, nature says that we belong in the mirror dimension and the humans don't. They are forbidden!"

"Nature changes," Sam said firmly, standing up.

Cain turned to face him. "And who are you to tell me how nature works, boy?" He growled, and started striding towards the boy. Sam took a step back as the giant mountain of a man started to get closer, but he straightened up and tried to look as tall as he could.

Before Cain could gain any more distance, Isabella soared in between them. Cain stopped.

"Back off," Isabella said, blocking Cain from reaching Sam. "Don't you dare take another step forward."

Cain raised his hands and stepped back. "Whatever you say, Isabella," He said, and produced a smile that reeked of falsehood.

The forest fairies stared at the water sprites, wary. The water sprites started growling and hissing, but stepped back towards the forest.

"Go home," One of the forest fairies ordered. "We don't want to hear another word of this for the rest of the day."

Cain nodded. "And so you won't," He said, and with a wave of his arm, the water sprites turned back to lead back for the lakes. As they left, Cain turned, and stared at Sam.

Sam instantly stumbled when he saw that look. Cain eyed him with contempt, then turned and vanished into the darkness of the forest.

Just like that, they were gone.

* * *

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	3. The Clan (Pt 3)

_Al Drin Hoshizora:...Eh._

 _I am a burglar: Who needs them?_

 _I really hope this story gets some attention. It's not getting a lot of comments._

* * *

When Sam and Janet were going to sleep that night in the human realm, their mother Agatha asked, while tucking them in, "So, what did you do in the mirror realm today."

Sam shrugged. "Eh, a bit," He said, though he didn't offer any details. That was filled by Janet.

"Sam showed me water fairies," She explained to her mother. "They live in the water."

"Oh, never could've guessed," Agatha said, sarcasm blatant to Sam, but not Janet. "Was it fun?"

Janet's smile faltered. "Well, they came over to the ice pond," She recalled, a conflicted look on her face. "They didn't seem very happy that we were here. Humans, I mean. Especially the one named Cain."

"Oh, and who's that?" Agatha asked.

Sam answered that. "He's the leader of a clan of the water sprites nearby," He said. "Not all of them, but a lot. I mean, a lot. They don't bother us much, though."

"That's good," Agatha said, tucking them in.

"Doesn't really like humans that much," Sam mumbled. "He doesn't like that you adopted me and Isabella."

"Well, if he has a problem with that, he'll have to go through me," Agatha said as she kissed Sam and Janet on the forehead. "Now, have a good sleep. It's school tomorrow."

Agatha flicked off the lights and left the room in darkness. The only light was Sam's blue streak in his hair, and the moonlight outside the window.

Sam flew the covers over his and Janet's heads, and they both opened their eyes.

"Will Cain come back?" Janet asked, worried. "Will he fight the other fairies?"

"He won't pick a fight with the forest fairies," Sam reassured her. "He wouldn't win. Water fairies aren't as strong as forest fairies. We're the strongest fairies of all."

"Oh," Janet said, directing her eyes upwards. "That's awesome! You're so awesome!"

"Keep it down," Sam shushed her. "You don't want to wake David and Isabella up."

"Oh," Janet said, quieting down. "So, what do we do now?"

Sam sighed. "Look, for the next few days, you don't enter the mirror dimension unless another fairy is guiding you," Sam instructed her. "Same with David or any other human that visits. The water fairies may need some time to get used to this, so until then, don't go in there alone."

"Roger," Janet said, saluting Sam. The fairy boy rolled his eyes and then went to sleep.

* * *

Amanda wandered through the forest of the mirror dimension, Mirror Samson floating by her side. While most of the humans had left the mirror dimension after the water sprites had left, Amanda had remained.

"Amanda, why are we here?" Mirror Sam asked as he dodged a tree branch. "Your parents wanted you home like, a half-hour ago."

"I want to see the water sprites," Amanda said, snapping off a branch from a nearby tree. "I'd like to speak with them."

"They don't want to talk to humans," Mirror Sam reminded her. "Most of them don't even like talking with the other fairies. And from the looks of it, they still don't accept the new rules."

"Well, I've been in the mirror realm before," Amanda pointed out. "The fairies accepted me."

"Not the water fairies," Mirror Samson pointed out, then froze when the two heard rustling from around the woods nearby. It was only now that the two recognized the area. The woods were matted with water, the leaves were a light blue color, and there were rivers and lakes close together.

"We're in the water sprites territory now," Mirror Sam whispered, though Amanda already knew it was true.

The two heard the sound of footsteps on marshy ground, and they could barely make out dark shadows moving in the woods, trying to keep out of sight. When the two caught sight of a water sprite on land, it quickly vanished out of sight.

"Hello?" Amanda asked, trying to call out to the fairies. One large shadow started moving towards Amanda through the dark forest, but Mirror Samson stepped in its way.

"The human is with me," Mirror Sam said, blocking the mirror fairy. Quickly, the water sprite vanished out of view, and the two heard a splashing sound as it dove into the lake.

 _"Why are you here?"_ A voice whispered from the riverside.

"We just wanted to deliver a message," Mirror Sam said, shrugging. "Well, I did, the human just came along with me. It's from the forest fairies."

When he got no response, Mirror Sam said, "There are new rules here, and if you see a human, you may not harm him or her, or try and drive them out. This dimension belongs just as much to them as it does to us fairies now."

 _"The mirror dimension belongs to us,"_ Came the harsh reply. _"Humans have no place here."_ Amanda shrunk down behind Mirror Sam, who stood up tall.

"The other fairies accept it," Mirror Sam said firmly. At that, several heads emerged from the lake.

"We don't," one of the water fairies said. Mirror Samson glared at the water sprites.

"I don't care whether you accept it or not," Mirror Samson said, folding his arms. "Just stay out of trouble. You don't any problems with the other fairies, do you?"

"Leave us!" The water sprites all shouted, and they started moving towards the land.

Mirror Samson backed away. He knew that, individually, a water fairy couldn't take on a forest fairy such as himself. But with their huge numbers, and him being alone, he knew he had no power over them now.

"Let's go," Mirror Sam whispered to Amanda. Taking her hand, he led her away from the lake. The water sprites watched them leave, and they then dived back into the lake and vanished beneath the surface.

* * *

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	4. The Clan (Pt 4)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah, I decided to retcon the mirror people into being the fair folk. Seemed to make sense for me._

 _I am a burglar: Yep, good to see you can keep your robber instincts in check._

* * *

Cain wandered through the desolate corridors of his underground lair, beneath the lake. His eyes were heavy, and his shoulders drooped. His long beard hung down his chest.

He still couldn't grasp how the other fairies would amend the rules of nature without consulting him and the other water fairies. If they were going to change the rules to allow humans access into the fairy world without the need of a fairy accompanying them, there should've been a mutual agreement between all the fairies, including his clan. Granted, he knew he and his clan would never accept the new rules, but the other fairies never should've kept this a secret from them for so long.

Cain looked up, and his mouth opened. An inaudible, whispering sound whisked out of his mouth, and it echoed throughout the chambers.

Instantly, water fairies crawled into the corridors, having heard Cain's calling. They immediately organized themselves in front of their leader to await what he had to say.

Once he had their undivided attention, Cain stood up firm. He looked down at the fairies as he prepared himself for what he had to say.

"My clan," Cain said to them. "As you know, the other fairies have changed the rules of nature. They're allowing humans into our realm. Worse, they did it without our knowledge!"

The water fairies shifted uneasily at the news.

"As you know, humans and fairies were separated to keep fairies pure," Cain reminded the fairies. "When humankind sinned, the fairies were placed in our realm to keep human's wickedness from corrupting us as well. It didn't work, though, and now the humans are being allowed to mingle with the fairies, further spreading this curse upon us!"

The fairies bared their teeth in anger, seething as Cain went on.

"The fairies may allow humans in their part of the forests, but not us!" Cain declared. "Spread the word! Humans will not be allowed in the water fairies territory! If they do, we will go to the human realm and exact our revenge upon them!"

The water fairies all shouted in agreement, and they dispersed out of the lake.

Cain remained. He thought about Sam the forest fairy, and how he had been adopted by humans.

He was trouble, that Sam. He wouldn't allow Sam, or his human family, anywhere near his clan. If Sam did, he would pay dearly.

* * *

The next day, Sam and Janet had just gotten home from school. As they returned home, Sam heard a whispering sound coming from the nearby mirror hanging on the wall. He recognized it instantly as Mirror Sam's voice.

"Mirror Sam?" Janet asked, also noticing the reflection.

"Can I speak to you?" Mirror Sam asked Sam. He motioned to Janet, and added, "Alone?"

Sam turned to Janet and motioned for her to leave. The younger girl nodded, and headed up the stairs to leave the two brothers to talk.

"What is it?" Sam asked, impatient. He didn't know why his reflection felt the need to call him the moment he'd gotten home.

"It's the water fairies," Mirror Sam explained to him. "They're banning you from the water regions."

"What?!" Sam shouted, suddenly worried. "But. . . they can't do that! I've never been banned from any section of the mirror dimension!"

"Cain says you're a bad influence," Mirror Sam told him. "The water sprites say that humans aren't allowed in they're section of the woods, either. They won't allow you access into their regions unless you disown the Barrets."

Sam's skin paled. His big blue eyes widened in shock as he looked up the stairs to where Janet, his sister, had gone.

"I can't disown my family," Sam told Mirror Samson, shaking his head. "Tell Cain that I'm not agreeing to what he's saying."

"I'm not telling you to agree with him; I don't, either," Mirror Sam replied. "But you can't go enter the water regions if you choose to remain with the Barrets. If you disobey Cain and enter his territory, the water sprites will come here and destroy everything you care about."

Sam started sweating. "Can't the forest fairies keep him from doing that?" He asked, urgently.

"He hasn't broken the rules as of yet, so no," Mirror Sam said, gloomily. "He hasn't threatened anyone so far. If he does try to enter the human realm to cause trouble, then we might, but as of now, we're powerless."

Sam took a moment to grasp what he was hearing. If he chose to remain with the Barrets, he would lose the ability to travel through major sections of the mirror dimensions. If he chose to leave them, he'd be without a family.

Sam took the meaning, and grasped it for a moment.

"If I lose the right to enter the water regions, so be it," Sam said firmly. "If I have to sacrifice that right unjustly for the sake of my family, then fine. But I will not disown by sister, my brother, or my parents."

Mirror Samson smiled a bit, proud of his brother. "Then that is your choice," He said. "Now, go find your sister."

Sam smiled, then it vanished as he climbed up the stairs to Janet's room. He couldn't wait to tell her what his conversation with his reflection had been.

"Janet?" Sam asked, pushing the door open. His eyes widened as he saw that the room was empty.

"J-Janet?" Sam said, more urgently this time. His head whipped left and right, but there was no sign of his sister.

All he saw was the mirror leading to the mirror realm, hanging atop the wall.

Janet was gone.

* * *

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	5. The Clan (Pt 5)

_I am a burglar: I don't know._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: Oh? Would you care to go over to the water areas and tell THEM that?_

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Where have you been lately? Anyways, he already made that choice._

* * *

Janet wandered through the forest in the mirror dimension. Ever since she and Sam had gotten home from school, she had entered into Sam's mirror to see how things were going in that realm.

"Hi, everybody!" Janet called out as she saw the forest fairies confined in the darkness of the forest, noticing their glowing blue hue glimmering in the darkness. Normally, she would have been greeted, or at least acknowledged. Instead, she was surprised when, upon noticing her, the fairies all lowered their hue to hide away in the dark.

Janet's face fell. "Hey, what's going on?" She asked, a little hurt. The lights, one by one, started to go out in the area as the fairies concealed themselves from sight.

Suddenly, a young girl dropped out of the trees and in front of Janet. The girl got to her feet, and stood facing Janet.

It was Kizzy, one of Sam's only fairy companions.

"Kizzy, what's going on?" Janet asked. "Why are the fairies hiding from me?"

"They don't want anything to do with you humans now," Kizzy told her, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Because of you, Cain and his clan are restricting the water regions from both humans, and any fairies that disagree with him."

"That's horrible," Janet said, upset. "What will happen now?"

"The clan won't lift the restrictions unless the other fairies agree to ban humans from the mirror dimension," Kizzy explained, folding her arms. "Until then, their regions are off-limits to everyone except water fairies."

"But water fairies aren't as strong as forest fairies," Janet reminded, remembering what Sam told her. "Surely they can't force them to do whatever they want."

"It's still their territory," Kizzy explained. "They have the right to do whatever they want with it, just like we forest fairies can force other fairies to stay out of the forest, or air sprites can force the other fairies to keep out of the mists."

"Oh," Janet said, frowning. She sighed. "Now what?"

Kizzy turned to leave. "Until now, keep your head low and don't draw attention to yourself," She said. With that, she flew up into the forest and vanished.

Janet was alone.

* * *

Isabella was currently expanding her energy through the water areas. Ever since the water sprites had banned the other fairies from entering their territory, Isabella had helping to send her energy through the water areas, to warn the other fairies not to cross there.

Just as she was finishing, she noticed a group of air sprite children, huddled in a group, wandering obliviously towards a lake.

"Crap," She whispered, and flew in front of the lake, blocking the air sprites.

"These areas are off-limits!" She snapped at the air fairies. "No forest or air sprites allowed here! Do you want to cause a fight?!"

The air sprites jumped back, terrified at the glare Isabella was giving them. They spun around and disintegrated into mist, which soared off into the forest and vanished.

Isabella sighed in relief, and wiped a beat of sweat off her forehead. As she did, she felt a cold, wet hand grip her ankles.

Jumping, Isabella spun around to see an older water sprite in the lake where she was standing.

"Didn't you just say these areas were off-limits," The water fairy growled angrily at Isabella. "That includes you, forest sprite. Leave, now!"

Isabella took a step back, holding her hands up in defense. "Hey, I was just warning my kind to stay out of your territory," She explained to the angry water sprite. As she did, she noticed other water sprites beginning to appear in the area around her.

"Get out now, and maybe we won't tell Cain you were ever here," The water sprite said threateningly. Isabella nodded, and turned and ran. As she did, some of the water fairies fired blasts of energy in her direction, which just barely missed.

The moment she was out of vicinity, Isabella leaned against a tree, sighing heavily.

"That was close," She whispered to herself.

"What was close?"

Isabella screamed and jumped away from the tree. There, crawling down the tree, was none other than Isabella's own reflection.

Mirror Isabella.

"Bella?" Isabella asked, surprised to see her sister. "But. . . you were still at the. . ."

"What, the psychiatric hospital?" Mirror Isabella asked her, a dull look on her face. "For some reason, the people there are being relocated."

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "The forest and air sprites?" She asked. She remembered that the hospital was located in the water regions.

Mirror Isabella nodded. "Don't know why."

"I know," Isabella said. "Cain and the water sprites are banning every other fairy from entering the water regions. That's why you're not in the hospital anymore."

"Oh, then that's good," Mirror Isabella said, stretching a bit. "Why are they doing that, though?"

"They don't like we accepted humans into the mirror dimension," Isabella said, looking to the ground guiltily. Mirror Isabella's eyes widened in surprise, then she stifled a giggle.

"Oh, is that it?" She asked, covering her mouth. "I knew something like that would happen, but you guys wouldn't listen. I guess now you know what happens."

"Shut up," Isabella snapped at her sister. "That means you can't enter the water regions, either."

"I don't care," Mirror Isabella said, folding her arms. "You think I like that stupid psychiatric hospital. My other personality has already vanished, so I don't know why they're keeping me there."

"Maybe because both sides of you are rotten," Isabella growled, glaring at her sister.

Mirror Isabella scoffed. "What will happen if we go to the water regions, anyways?" She asked, curiously.

"Then Cain's clan will go and wreck the human city," Isabella told her reflection. "So stay out of their territory. Do you want the blood of Crystal City on your hands?" With that, Isabella vanished into the forest.

Mirror Isabella stared off at where Isabella had gone. Then, a smile curled on her lips.

"Actually, I'd like that quite a bit," She whispered darkly.

* * *

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	6. The Clan (Pt 6)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: They'd be throwing way worse than rocks._

 _I am a burglar: You'll find nothing there._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: She was trying to get cured of her mental issues. By now, they've submerged, for the most part._

* * *

Janet wandered through the forest of the mirror dimension. She knew she was banned from entering the water regions, so she did her best to avoid lakes and rivers. In the meantime, she was wandering about looking for misty areas.

She remembered what Sam had said about air sprites: _You'll usually find them in the mist._ She couldn't wait to find a foggy area in the forest. That was sure to contain at least one air sprite.

Janet desperately wanted to see an air sprite. She'd seen forest sprites and water sprites, but she'd never laid eyes on an air sprite before. If what Sam had told her was true, they were pretty rare. Seeing one would definitely be an awe-inspiring experience.

"Hi, Janet!"

Janet screamed and jumped towards a tree. Whoever had spoken had been standing right next to her ear without her knowing.

Whirling around on whoever had spoken, Janet was shocked to see none other than Mirror Isabella. The fairy girl's arms were folded behind her back, a smirk on her pale blue face.

"What'cha doin'?" The fairy asked, her dark blue eyes sparkling.

"What are you doing here?" Janet asked, staring at the fairy suspiciously. "I thought they took you away. Did you escape?"

"Turns out the hospital's being shut down," Mirror Isabella said. "You know, because of Cain's new law."

"Oh," Janet said, bluntly, her face falling. "How did you find me?"

"I've learned how to track your essence," Mirror Isabella explained. She suddenly blew a wisp of air, and revealed a transparent mist that led from Janet to the area from where she'd just come from.

"You can do that?" Janet asked, a little disturbed.

"Yep," Mirror Isabella said, floating in the air. "We fairies discover new abilities each year. Last year, I was earning how to create mirrors that could suck up whole cities."

"Don't remind me," Janet said, still remembering the whole incident that got Mirror Isabella in the hospital in the first place.

"So, what'cha doin'?" Mirror Isabella repeated.

"I'm. . . looking for an air sprite," Janet said, shrugging. She figured there was no harm in telling the truth.

Janet thought she caught a look of genuine surprise in Mirror Isabella's eyes. "An air sprite?" She sputtered out in disbelief. "You're looking for an air fairy? Janet, air fairies want nothing to do with us."

"Oh," Janet said, somewhat downhearted.

Mirror Isabella shifted her eyes, and then suddenly said, "However, if you really want to see one, there's a large mist down through the forest in this direction." She pointed to Janet's left.

Janet stared at the direction Mirror Isabella was pointing at, and eyed the fairy suspiciously. "Are you telling the truth?" She asked.

"Indeed," Mirror Isabella said, smiling. "I cross my heart that there's an air sprite in the direction I'm pointing at. Go and you'll see that I'm right."

Janet stared at Mirror Isabella. The fairy didn't look like she was lying.

Janet smiled and then said, "Thanks, Bella!" Before rushing off in the direction Mirror Isabella had sent her. The fairy watched as the human girl vanished through the trees.

The moment the girl had vanished, Mirror Isabella grinned, before turning and vanishing into the trees.

* * *

As Janet soon found out, Mirror Isabella wasn't lying about the location of the air sprites. Before long, Janet had found herself in a large foggy area within the forest.

Janet looked around, intrigued at her new surroundings. Everything around her looked white, and the trees looked faded by being concealed in mist. She could just barely make out whispering coming from the mists, and she knew that there were, indeed, air sprites nearby.

"Hello?" Janet called out, trying to call the air sprites out. "Is anyone there."

She was met with an eerie silence. When she got no response, she said, "I'm Janet Barret. My brother's a fairy, like you."

As she spoke, the fog became thinner, and some of the mist started moving closer to Janet. Suddenly, the fog started to swirl around Janet slowly.

Confused, Janet said, "Is anyone out there?"

As she spun around, trying to catch sight of the forest, she could make out several faces briefly materializing in the mist. The faces looked like cloudy, almost ghostly, as if they weren't even there. Every time Janet caught sight of them, the faces vanished.

"Don't leave!" Janet pleaded to the fairies. "I just want to talk!"

Janet didn't notice one creature appear out of the mists behind her. While she was distracted, the large fairy loomed over her, its arms outstretched and reaching out towards her.

Suddenly, a blast of blue energy surged through the mist and struck the fairy in the chest. With a howl of agony, the fairy vanished into the mists.

"Sam?!" Janet cried out in shock as she saw her fairy brother burst through the mist, his arm transformed into a crystal blade. The mist instantly started to disperse as soon as the air sprites saw the intervention of the forest sprite.

"Get behind me!" Sam ordered Janet, holding the blade up against the air sprites. Using his other arm, he blasted bursts of energy at the mist, causing it to evaporate.

With their hiding spots being eliminated, the air sprites started scattering into the forest. Some fled into the trees, while other flew through the air and soared into the sky. Sam threw bursts of electricity at them to drive them off.

Sam saw the air sprite he'd shot earlier feebly attempt to fly away, clutching his injured chest. Sam reeled back his arm, and threw an energy blast at him. The energy ball crackled as it soared through the air. It collided with the air sprite, causing an explosion of electricity. The air sprite let out a scream, and plummeted out of the sky and back into the forest. The two children heard the sound of a splash, signaling that the air sprite had landed in the lake.

The moment the fog had been cleared, Sam whirled on a startled Janet, who was surprised to see an angry look on his face.

"What were you doing out here?!" He asked furiously, his blue eyes brimming with rage. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I didn't know it was dangerous," Janet said in her defense. "Mirror Isabella told me-"

"I don't care what Mirror Isabella says!" Sam shouted at her. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I didn't get hurt," Janet said meekly. Sam shook his head, and with a wave of his arm, he cleared the rest of the mist, revealing the section of the forest they were in. Janet gasped when she saw that they were standing near a large set of lakes.

They were in the water regions.

"Oh, no," Janet whispered.

"We have to get out of here before anyone sees us," Sam warned her. Before she could say anything, Sam grabbed her by the wrist and led her towards a different section of the forest.

While they ran, the two didn't notice a water fairy hiding in the lake, watching them run. The moment they were gone, the water sprite growled, and dove underwater to relay the news to Cain.

* * *

 _Read and review._


	7. The Clan (Pt 7)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Dude, Mirror Isabella's in-character. She's faking it._

 _I am a burglar: I suggest you stay tuned, then._

* * *

In the water regions, the surface of the largest lake in the area was steaming and bubbling as dissension grew among the water fairies below.

After the water fairy had relayed the news to the rest of the clan about how Sam and Janet had disobeyed their new law and trespassed into their areas, Cain was furious.

"I knew it was only a matter of time!" He shouted, his face turning red. "Those other fairies have no respect for our authority! First, they conceal the human presence in our world, and now they spit on our very laws!"

The water fairies shouted out in agreement. The river went from cold to hot, the fairies' emotions taking its toll on the late itself.

"Well, we will not stand for this!" Cain shouted, rallying the other water sprites. "We will not allow these humans to defile our land anymore! It is time to go out and take the fight to their own world!"

Standing up tall in the lake, Cain raised his arms and shouted, "I ask you, my brothers and sisters, to join me, and we will rid this dimension of all humankind!"

The clan shouted out in agreement.

Turning to the nearest water sprite, Cain said, "Tell the children to stay underwater! We're going to the human dimension!"

With that, Cain surged to the top of the lake, followed by the rest of the water sprites. The lake erupted as hundreds of water fairies flew into the air and spread out into the sky to spread the word to the other nearby water sprites.

Soon, the sun and moon was blotted out by the water sprites as they surged into the air and towards the Crystal's mirror, leading to the human dimension.

* * *

Below, in the forests, the woodland and air fairies saw the way the sky darkened, and they looked up to see a massive number of water fairies in the sky.

Panicking, the forest fairies concealed themselves in the trees to hide. The air sprites vanished into the mist and watched as the water fairies flew from above.

Cain looked down at the forest, and saw the way the other fairies hid themselves as they saw him arrive.

Cain's eyes darkened. It was good that the fairies were afraid. Then, they would be too cowed to stop him and his clan from attacking the human city.

He frowned. Now he just had to find the Crystal's mirror. That would lead him to the human city.

Fortunately for him, he knew about the corridors that led to the Crystal's home. Mirror Isabella had made a point of defining her territory, and all the fairies in the area knew it. Thanks to her, he knew full well where the Crystal's would be.

Then, he would be able to capture their mirror.

* * *

Mirror Samson lay in his bed, Ballard in his arms. After his talk with Sam, he had spent the rest of the day resting, trying to think.

He had been thinking of going to the water regions and talking with the water sprites. He knew it was wrong for the fairies to have not told them about the new laws. Even if their reaction had been blown out of proportion, he felt they should still be fair to the water fairies.

His thoughts were disrupted as he felt a growing magical presence enter the corridors. Even ignoring that, he could hear sounds coming from down the corridors.

It sounded like whispering. Whispering fairies.

Initially, Mirror Samson ignored it. It was rather common for other fairies to pass through the corridors where he and his siblings lived. However, as he heard the sound growing, he knew it wasn't simply one or two fairies passing by.

It sounded like a legion.

Instinctively realizing something was wrong, Mirror Samson whispered, "Ballard, go find my siblings." The cat meowed, and slunk off into the darkness.

Mirror Samson got out of bed and ran to the entrance to his room, awaiting whoever was arriving. He could hear the chattering get louder as the fairies got closer.

As soon as the chattering was at the door, it stopped. Mirror Samson stood still, frozen, as he awaited what would happen next.

Quickly, the doors burst open. As they did, Cain himself strode inside the room.

"Cain?" Mirror Samson choked out as the large fairy stormed into his room. The young fairy immediately backed up towards his bed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked timidly.

"Your brother brokt the rules," Cain growled out, cornering the young fairy next to a wall. As he did, several other water sprites entered the room.

"What do you mean?" Mirror Samson asked, curious.

"We saw him and his sister in our regions, even though they were off-limits to them," Cain explained. "Hde knew the consequences, and now we will exact our punishment against them."

"What?" Mirror Samson asked.

"Give us the mirror," Cain demanded, holding out his massive hand. "We are going to the human city!"

Mirror Samson's blue eyes widened in horror. "But. . . I can't," He said, shaking.

Undeterred, Cain turned to his clan and said, "Find the mirror!"

As the other water fairies spread out through the room, Mirror Samson ran after them, shouting, "You can't!"

"Oh, yes we can!" Cain shouted, grabbing Mirror Samson by the collar. Hoisting the fairy in the air, he slung him to the other water fairies.

"Take him away!" He demanded. He turned away as he heard Mirror Samson screaming as he was forcibly dragged out of the room by the water fairies.

Just then, one water sprite ran in and presented the mirror to Cain.

"It's here," The fairy said. "This will take us to the human city!"

Cain grinned. "Excellent," He whispered, cracking his knuckles. "Now that we have the mirror, it is time to destroy that pathetic city! We will wipe out all the humans in Crystal City!"


	8. The Clan (Pt 8)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Indeed._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Refer to what I said above._

 _I am a burglar: At least you said something unrelated to burglarizing._

 _Matt: Yeah, I doubt I'm going to do that, now._

* * *

The two water sprites shoved past the other members of the clan as they forcibly dragged a struggling Mirror Samson out of the catacombs. The young forest fairy thrashed and clawed in their grasp, but their grip on him was far too strong.

"Let me go!" Mirror Samson shouted at his captors, but they ignored him. One of the fairies hoisted him into the air and slung him over his back, and carried him out of the corridors and out into the forest.

"Now what do we do with him?" The other water fairy asked once they were out of the catacombs. "I mean, we can't kill him. He's a reflection."

Mirror Samson let out a sigh of relief as he remembered that. Reflections could not be killed by ordinary means, even by other fairies. The only way Mirror Samson could die was if Sam was killed.

That, he realized, gave him an edge.

"I say we stick him in a lake somewhere," The fairy holding him suggested. As they talked, Mirror Samson adjusted his captors, and realized that one of them was a reflection of the one holding him.

"Good idea," The reflection said, nodding. Neither of them noticed Mirror Samson extend his intend finger into a sharp claw. Reaching down, he quickly slashed his captor's back.

"Ow!" The fairy shouted in pain as red blood seeped out of his wound. In his agony, he released Mirror Samson. Now that he was free, Mirror Samson could fight back.

The reflection lunged at Mirror Samson, but the young forest fairy nimbly dodged past him as he swiped at him. Jumping towards a tree, he used it to catapult himself at the reflection while his back was turned, kicking him in the back and sending him tumbling into the other fairy. The two crashed in a heap on the ground.

Transforming his hand into a blade, Mirror Samson dashed at the two water fairies as they struggled to get up, and quickly aimed the tip of his blade at his former captor's throat. The fairy gasped and backed themselves up against the tree. The reflection did the same, knowing his life was in danger as well.

"Don't move!" Mirror Samson threatened, jabbing his blade into the fairy's chest. "If I kill you, both of you die."

"We give up!" The reflection shouted in defeat, holding up his hands in surrender.

Mirror Samson was secretly awed at how cowardly his former captors had become now that their own lives were in peril. However, he shrugged it off and kept the blade on them.

"Where are my siblings?" Mirror Samson asked. "Talk, or I'll slit your throats!"

The water fairy quaked in fear. "We saw them in the valley nearby," He explained quickly. "Now, please, get that blade off of us!"

Mirror Samson drew back his blade. Turning his back, he said, "I have to find them, before it's too late."

Quickly, he whipped around on the two water sprites, his open palm aimed at them. A large burst of electricity shot out of his palm and at the water sprites, shocking them with lightning.

The water sprites screamed in agony as they were electrocuted. Mirror Samson finally ceased his electric attack on the two. Immediately, the two water sprites slumped onto the ground, unconscious.

Sighing heavily, Mirror Samson turned to a nearby lake. Telekinetically lifting the two water fairies into the air, Mirror Samson dumped them into the lake.

Mirror Samson breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked up at the sky. He knew where the valley was; he just had to get there in time, before the water fairies destroyed the whole city.

Flying into the air, Mirror Samson soared off in the direction of the valley.

 _Hopefully, I'm not too late,_ He thought to himself.

* * *

In the valley, a group of fairies had gathered in large groups. After the water fairies had flown into the sky for some indiscernible reason, the fairies had gathered together for safety.

In the valley, Sam was huddled close to Isabella, Janet and David. He hadn't seen either Mirror Isabella or Mirror Samson in the valley, and hoped that they were okay.

In the crowds, some of the fairies were gossiping among themselves.

"Why were those fairies flying in such a large group?"

"Where were they going?"

"Did someone trespass into the water regions?"

Janet lowered her head in shame when she heard that. Sam hugged her, hoping that nobody would single them out. As he did, he secretly wondered if the water fairies had seen him and Janet and were going to his home to confront him.

And that was where Mirror Samson was.

"Oh no, I have to go!" Sam shouted in panic, causing the other fairies to turn to him.

". . . Well, there is a lake nearby," One forest fairy said, misinterpreting his words. "Don't think Cain would like it, though. . ."

"Not that!" Sam shouted. "I have to go home to see if my brother is safe!"

"Sam!"

Sam jolted when he heard the voice, and recognized it as Mirror Samson. All heads snapped up into the air to see the tiny figure of a young forest fairy flying towards the valley.

Sam instinctively spread out his arms as his reflection and younger twin brother flew right into him. The reflection flew right into Sam's arms, knocking him back a bit before steadying himself.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as he set his brother onto the ground.

"The water sprites are going to destroy Crystal City!" Mirror Samson shouted quickly, so everyone could hear. "Cain says he saw you and Janet in his territory, and now his clan are going to the human city to take revenge!"

Sam gasped in horror. He should have known that was why the water sprites had gone to his catacombs. It was to steal his mirror and enter the human realm.

"We have to go and stop him!" David shouted to the other fairies, stepping by Sam's side.

"Come on!" Sam urged to the other fairies, and was about to start running to the catacombs when he stopped and turned around. The other fairies stood where they were, conflicted.

"Come on, we have to go!" Sam pleaded to the fairies. "Before Cain destroys the city."

The fairies rippled in fear. "It's not our problem," One forest fairy mumbled indignantly.

Sam's blue eyes widened. "Please, guys. . ."

"If we do, the water fairies will want retribution," One air sprite told him. "Who knows what they'll do to us?"

Isabella stepped forward. "Well I'm not going to sit back and let innocent people die!" She declared, taking Sam's hand. "If that's what you're going to do, then I don't think I want to be a fairy anymore!"

Sam took one last look at the crowd, and glared, before turning to run towards the catacombs, along with Isabella.

"Sam, wait!" David shouted, running after them.

The fairies watched them leave, standing still. Janet took a few steps forward, conflicted.

Kizzy flew up to her. "If you go, you'll surely die," She warned her. "You can't stand up to that clan."

"But you could, couldn't you?" Janet said, shoving Kizzy back. Turning to the fairies, she said, "All of you have the power to do so, but you're afraid. If I had your powers, I wouldn't hesitate to help those in need!"

When she saw the fairies turn away from her, Janet sighed. She turned to follow her siblings, and whispered, "You know, I once looked up to you guys." With that, she set off after her siblings.

As she ran, she didn't notice the other fairies turn back to watch her.

* * *

 _Read and review._


	9. The Clan (Pt 9)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Oh. Thanks._

 _I am a burglar: They will._

* * *

Within Crystal City, the human residents had been going about on their day when they noticed the sky start to turn a different shade of dark blue. All of sudden, it seemed as if the city was being magically closed off from the rest of the world.

In the midst of this drastic turn of events, the Barret's car drove down the streets, coming to a stop at a nearby park. Agatha and Felix rushed out of the car to stare up at the sky in awe.

"What's happening?" Agatha asked, squinting her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things. However, she knew that what she was seeing was indeed true, as the color of the sky shifted in color, and also size as well.

Felix narrowed his eyes at the sky. "That's weird," He said, scratching his head. "That almost looks like. . . the mirror dimensions' sky."

As he said that, a blue ball of energy was blasted out of the forest and into the middle of the sky above the city, exploding in a flash of light. The blast was so blinding and so filled with energy that everyone outside instinctively covered their eyes and turned away from the blazing light.

Out of the corner of his eye, Felix saw several dark blue figures, silently wandering into the forests ominously. He squinted his eyes, and he recognized them as fairies from the mirror dimension.

However, these weren't the forest fairies he was used to seeing. They looked different. They're skin was a more aquatic shade of blue, their hands were webbed, and their hair was shaped like waves.

They were water fairies.

The humans finally saw the water fairies as they exited the forest and entered the park area. The fairies glared at the humans, pure hatred in their dark blue eyes.

Then, they charged.

The humans didn't know what to do except run. They knew they were no match for the fairies, and as they charged en mass, flight was the first thing that entered their mind. The humans turned and fled, the water fairies furiously pursuing them, some of them flying after them.

As much as they tried, it was futile. The humans had no chance of escaping the fairies' superior speed and agility. Quickly, individual fairies intercepted humans that couldn't run fast enough, and grabbed them and pulled them to the ground. The men and women captured tried to struggle in the grasp of the fairies, but couldn't break out of the fairies' iron-like grip.

Some fairies jumped out of the woods and hurled blasts of energy at the humans as they scattered, knocking them back with powerful bursts of energy. Dazed from the shock of the blast and the fall, the humans could only lie down as they were swarmed by fairies.

Agatha and Felix were one of the few who managed to dodge the initial wave of fairies and seek refuge in their car. "What's going on?!" Agatha asked as she watched as the fairies rushed out of the forests outside. "Why are the fairies attacking us?"

Suddenly, one fairy slammed against the window of the car, cracking the glass. Felix wasn't going to wait to see what happened next, so he stepped on the gas and drove the car out of the park as fast as he could. He didn't care if he was exceeding the speed limit, he was not sticking around in the park.

As they drove down the street, their first thought was to go home, get the mirror, and call Sam so they could get an explanation as to what was happening.

Suddenly, a blast of energy was fired at the back of the car, blowing the wheels out. The car skidded out of control and slammed against the wall of a building. Agatha's head crashed against the window, stunning her.

As the two lay in their seats, dazed by the attack, water fairies began to spread out on all sides throughout the city. Hundreds flew up into the sky, and began raining down blasts of electricity on humans as they ran for cover.

With their combined power, the water fairies summoned a large thunderstorm, blotting out the sun. Heavy drops of rain poured out of the dark clouds, and blue lightning flashed in the skies, causing the helpless civilians below to panic in terror.

Some water fairies smashed their way into buildings, grabbing anyone they could find and dragging them outside.

"My baby!" One woman cried as one fairy snatched her infant out of its stroller, and carried it off into the air.

Felix and Agatha watched on in terror as the city was completely overwhelmed by the water fairies attacking it. As they watched, the door to their car was torn open, and two strong hands reached in and grabbed the two, dragging them out of the car and onto the streets.

Felix and Agatha looked up. It was Cain.

The leader of the water sprites hurled the two onto the streets, along with a crowd of other civilians. Water fairies surrounded them, hissing and shouting at their captives.

"What is the meaning of this?" Felix shouted in anger. "Why are you here?"

"We have come because you refused to obey our rules!" Cain roared in fury. "We made a law forbidding any humans from entering our territory! But your daughter disobeyed our laws! Now, you will reap the consequences!"

"Why can't we enter your territory?" Agatha asked. "What did we do to you?"

"You corrupted both our worlds!" Cain shouted, clenching his fists It almost looked like tears were going to fall from his eyes. "We, humans and fairies, were created to be pure, and wise! But when your kind sinned, we were to be kept separated, to keep ourselves uncontaminated by your wickedness! But you soiled our good home with your vileness and evil! You spread your filth in our lands! So now, you will finally pay!"

He pointed his finger at Felix, and the tip of it began to glow. Felix closed his eyes and braced himself for the blast.

"Stop!"

Felix's eyes snapped open as he recognized Sam's voice. It appeared the other fairies had heard as well, because they all looked up into the air at the source of the voice.

Cain's eyes widened in shock as he saw him.

In the sky, there was Sam and Isabella, flying down at the water fairies. Before the fairies could react, Isabella summoned a ball of energy and hurled it at the water fairies, knocking them back.

Sam soared towards Cain and punched the larger fairy square in the nose, sending him flying off his feet and onto the ground. He sat up, clenching his broken nose, and saw Sam hurrying the humans to their feet.

Fighting through his pain, he pointed at Sam and shouted to his comrades, "Get them!"

The water fairies turned to the Crystal siblings, and began to advance towards them. Sam turned his hand into a blade to defend himself, and Isabella summoned a ball of electricity and shouted, "Come on! I dare you to try something!"

Before the water fairies could respond, a blast of energy sent several of them flying back. Cain's eyes widened in shock as he looked up into the air.

In the sky, bands of forest fairies flew towards the water fairies, Kizzy at the head. Behind her, her friend Lizzy was carrying David and Janet to the ground. The water fairies quickly fled in terror as the forest fairies chased after them.

Kizzy and Lizzy landed on the streets, dropping David and Janet off.

"Everyone, go and free the humans!" David commanded to the forest fairies. "And make sure those water fairies don't get away!" The forest fairies nodded and chased after a group of water fairies fleeing.

Sam ran up to them. "You came with us?" He asked Kizzy in shock. "But I thought-"

"Hey, kid," Kizzy said, a warm smile on her usually cold face. Putting a hand on Sam's shoulder, she said, "We'd never give up on you."

Sam smiled, grateful. As he did, Kizzy looked behind her, and suddenly growled. She shot a blast of electricity right past Sam's face, and the young boy heard someone shouting in pain. Whipping around, he saw a water fairy that had been about to attack him drop onto the ground, stunned by Kizzy's attack.

As the forest fairies flew down to save the humans, Sam turned and said, "Everyone, let's go!"

* * *

 _Read and review._


	10. The Clan (Pt 10)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Indeed they can._

 _I am a burglar: Don't worry; I'm sure there's plenty others._

* * *

Throughout Crystal City, it was pure chaos. Terrified citizens ran for cover as hundreds of fairies converged upon the city. The water fairies had seized the city, and had been prepared to wipe out all humans that were caught in their grasp.

But the other fairies refused to let that happen.

Water fairies fled throughout the city en mass, pursued by forest fairies. They were quickly overrun by their more powerful counterparts, however; on land, they were not as fast, and could not maneuver as well.

Some water fairies attempted to fight back, but they were merely delaying the inevitable. They did not have the magical abilities to fight back against the forest fairies, especially with their combined might. They were overwhelmed and detained within moments. Some were electrocuted into unconsciousness, while others were encased in ice.

Sam soared through the city, leading the defense of Crystal City from the invading fairies. He threw himself at the water fairies that dared to threaten his home. In spite of his young age, his love for his family increased his strength, and he fought with a fury against the invaders. He brought down multiple water fairies at once, even as they fought against him with all their might.

Striking one water fairy to the ground, Sam froze his limbs in ice so that he could not escape. Several forest fairies engulfed the trapped water fairy within seconds. As Sam watched on, a group of water fairies landed on the streets before him, and lunged at him. They had not gotten a few feet before Sam blasted the nearest one in the chest with an energy ball, sending him flying through the air. The water fairies watched their fallen comrade crash onto the ground, and they quickly turned and fled, Sam throwing balls of electricity at them.

In another section of the city, David and Janet were running around, freeing the trapped humans while the forest fairies dealt with the water fairies. With a crystal blade created by Kizzy, Janet sliced through the human's crystal binds.

"Don't worry," She reassured them as she freed them. "Before the day's out, you'll all be safe and sound."

David watched her, and vaguely noticed a dark shadow coming from behind him and his sister. Turning around, David felt his skin crawl when he found himself coming face-to-face with a large water fairy, hovering above him.

Janet noticed the shadow, and turned around, letting out a suppressed gasp when she saw the water fairy standing above her and her brother. The humans, freed of their binds, took the opportunity to run.

The water fairy growled and reached out to grab David, but Janet ran forward and swiped at the fairy with her blade. The tip of the blade pierced the fairy's burly arm, causing him to let out a howl of pain. His eyes aflame, he swatted Janet away, and the blade clattered to the ground. The tiny girl landed on the ground, bouncing a bit before coming to a stop.

"Janet!" David shouted out in horror. His blue eyes turned red with anger, and he whirled on the fairy that had struck his sister. Disregarding that he had no powers, David lunged at the fairy. Scoffing, the fairy pointed his finger at David and shot a blast of electricity at him. David sidestepped out of the way of the blast, and dove at the fairy, sinking his teeth into the fairy's injured arm.

The fairy bit back a scream, and grabbed David with his other arm, prying him off of his injured arm. The fairy held David suspended in the air, and grinned maliciously. David promptly drew back his fist, and punched the fairy in the nose.

Growling in anger, the fairy sent David flying with a flick of his arm. The young boy landed on the ground a few feet away. As he got up, he felt a billow of mist surrounding him, and turned around. His eyes widened in shock.

Standing before him was a clan of air fairies, their eyes glowing in the mist. They stared up at the water fairy, who backed away in fear. The leader of the air fairies let out a small whisper, and the air fairies floated towards the water fairy, the fog trailing behind them. Instantly, the water fairy turned and fled, the air fairies trailing close behind.

As David got up and rushed towards Janet, Sam soared towards the two, landing at their feet. "Where's our parents?" He asked.

"Isabella's with them," Janet said, rubbing her sore head. "The real question is, where is Cain?"

Sam turned around, and blew on the tip of his finger. Quickly, a trail of blue mist appeared, trailing down the street. Sam narrowed his eyes; he just had to follow the trail, and then he would find Cain.

Flying after the misty trail, Sam dodged through dozens of fairies that were battling with each other. At the end of the trail, Sam made out Cain at the side of a building, knocking two forest fairies away with a blast of energy.

"Cain!" Sam bellowed, and flew towards him. Cain whipped around to see Sam flying towards him. Before he could reach him, however, a group of water fairies jumped in front of him, blocking his past.

"Get out of the way!" Sam shouted out in fury, and he threw a blast of blue fire at the water fairies. The water fairies recoiled as the fire burned their wrists. They looked up, and Sam soared through the wall of fire, knocking the water fairies down. Without bothering to catch his breath, Sam continued after Cain.

Cain summoned the water from a nearby lake, and sent it hurtling towards Sam, the water transforming into spiked ice. The ice smashed against Sam, stunning him and causing him to land on the ground at Cain's feet.

"You are finished, fairy boy!" Cain growled, and grabbed Sam by the throat, hoisting the small fairy up into the air in one hand. Sam struggled and squirmed in Cain's grasp, and grabbed at his large fists to try and pry his hands from his throat. Cain applied pressure on his neck, strangling the young boy.

"You never should have personalized with those human worms!" Cain shouted at Sam as he throttled him. "Now you'll pay the price for your insolence!"

Sam began to feel lightheaded, his neck compressed. He could feel himself begin to lose consciousness. His eyes started to close.

"Sam!"

Sam's eyes fluttered open, and he slowly craned his head around. There, he saw Janet and David racing towards him, pushing past the fairies. Several water fairies descended upon the two, grabbing them.

"Sam!" Janet cried out as she was dragged away by the water fairies.

Sam's blue eyes glimmered a bit, and suddenly narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth, his skin boiling. The sight of his brother and sister in danger renewed his strength.

With an loud roar, Sam broke out of Cain's grip, shocking the water fairy. He was so shocked that he couldn't respond when Sam soared towards him, fists clenched as they collided with his face.

Cain's face was met with two granite fists smashing against him, and he stumbled backwards with each strike. Every time he recovered from the last punch, another fist slammed against his face once more. Sam flew through the air, unleashing a flurry of punches, each strike more powerful than the last.

Cain recovered from one punch, and grabbed Sam's fist before he could unleash another punch. Quickly, Sam kicked out, and his foot slammed against Cain's chin, sending him flying through the air. He landed on the ground, his head landing in the lake.

Sam flew over the massive water fairy, and grabbed him by the collar. Lifting the water fairy out of the lake, Sam clenched Cain's throat, his eyes ablaze.

Cain coughed out water, the droplets splashing against Sam's chest. His nose was broken, and several teeth had been knocked out.

"But. . . why?" He asked, coughing up blood. "How?"

Sam simply stared at him, his eyes stony. He could tell that the water fairy was too weak to keep on fighting. He was beaten.

However. . . Sam simply felt such an intense hatred for the man. This man, who had persecuted the other fairies, and threatened his family, and put the entire city in danger. Sam's fury was kindled against Cain, and he felt such a passionate anger at him.

Pulling Cain away from the lake, Sam slammed the water fairy's head against a tree. Sam transformed his arm into a blade, and drew his arm back, ready to end his enemy once and for all.

"Sam."

A soft hand gripped Sam's crystal arm. Sam's eyes widened when he recognized Janet's hand, holding him. Slowly turning around, he saw Janet, holding his arm. The small girl was no longer in the water fairy's grasp.

"No," She whispered, holding Sam's hand. "He's beaten. Don't sink to his level."

Sam stared at his sister for a moment, and he felt tears brimming in his eyes. Releasing Cain, he let the water fairy collapse onto the ground, too weak to even stand up.

"Oh, Janet," Sam whispered, and embraced his sister. As the two hugged, Sam looked behind Janet, and saw the rest of his family arrive. He saw David, and his parents, and Isabella. Within the city, nearly all the water fairies had been detained.

"It's over," Janet whispered to Sam, and hugged him tighter.

Sam reciprocated the embrace.

* * *

 _Read and review._


	11. The Clan (Pt 11)

_I am a burglar: He wasn't going to punch him. He was going to STAB him._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: Same as the above._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Well, he was just defeated._

* * *

A half hour later, it was all over.

Once Cain had been defeated by Sam, the other water fairies stood no chance. They were soon routed and overpowered by the other fairies, demoralized by their leader's defeat. Soon afterwards, the whole of Crystal City had been liberated.

Once all of the humans had been freed, they rushed out of hiding to thank the forest fairies for saving them. The fairies hadn't remained for long, though, as they knew it was time to return to their own realm, and bring Cain's troublesome clan with them.

Sam had told his family to stay in the human realm while he and Isabella went with the other fairies.

"But Sam, can't we come?" Janet pleaded to her brother. "This is our problem, too."

"No, Janet," Sam said, pushing her back as he prepared to re-enter the mirror. "This is something the fairies have to handle. Something we probably should've done a long time ago."

Janet was about to argue, but she said nothing. She simply remained silent while Sam walked through the mirror and vanished.

* * *

Once they had been returned to the mirror realm and released of their magical constraints, Cain and his clan had stood up, whirled upon the forest fairies, and glared in fury.

"How dare you?!" Cain vented at the forest fairies. "You dare violate the laws that we set?!"

The water fairies surrounding Cain began to shout out in agreement with their leader, but one of the older forest fairies immediately silenced them with a wave of his arm and commanded, "Go home. All of you."

The forest fairies immediately began forcing the water fairies back to the water regions. The water fairies shouted threats and hurled insults at the forest fairies, but they didn't retaliate. They knew they couldn't fight back at the forest fairy's power.

Sam joined the forest fairies, along with Isabella and Mirror Samson. He especially kept an eye on Cain as they walked. In the back of his mind, he wondered where Mirror Isabella had gone, but he didn't focus on that. What was important was the water fairies.

Every time the fairies passed by a lake, stream, or any water-based area, a section of the water fairies would flee to it and dive into it, grumbling as they returned to the depths of the water, where they belonged.

As they reached the lake where Cain resided, the large water fairy turned around and faced the forest fairies.

"Remember that you are still not allowed in our territory," He declared, and turned to return to the lake. "Not now, not ever."

"No Cain, that's where you're wrong," Sam spoke, folding his arms. Cain stopped, and he turned around, his face contorted into shock. Some of the water fairies looked at Sam in surprise as well.

"We decided on this while you were unconscious," Sam explained to Cain, loud enough so his clan heard as well. "The laws that you've set have been abolished by us."

Cain's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" He shouted in disbelief. He growled deep in his throat, and muttered, "But we made those laws. You can't change our laws, boy!"

Sam briefly faltered when he saw Cain's angry glare, but he stood straight. "Not if those laws are counterproductive!" He said, his voice slowly rising. "Your law has been caused nothing but trouble for everyone, including you. What use is a law that only results in disaster?"

Cain breathed heavily, but his tense expression softened as he realized the flaws of his law that he had so hastily created.

"Forest fairies and air fairies can enter your territories without fear of retaliation!" Isabella said, standing before her brother. "That has always been the way of the fairies; we cannot let it die now."

The fairies murmured in agreement. The water fairies stared on in shock, but they said nothing. Slowly, they all retreated back to the bottom of the lake, until only Cain remained.

The large water sprite gave one last glance at Sam, and let out a deep sigh. Then he, too, dove into the river and vanished.

Sam watched him leave, and smiled.

* * *

A few days later, Sam and Janet were walking through the forest. They were passing by a lake, when a head burst out of the water.

Sam and Janet both let out a surprised scream, and for a moment, Sam wondered if the water fairies hadn't heeded the changing of their law. However, the two calmed down when they saw who it was.

"Brooklyn!" Sam said joyfully, and he knelt down towards the lake. The young fairy girl floated in the lake, her head bobbing out.

"I heard about what happened a few days ago," Brooklyn said, a regretful expression on her face. "I am so sorry for what Cain and his clan did to you."

Sam nodded gratefully, and Brooklyn turned to Janet, who eyed her warily. Ever since the attack on the city, she'd grown cautious of being around any water sprites.

Sensing Janet's thoughts by the look on her face, Brooklyn said, "Janet, I just want you to know that we're not all like that. I wish all water fairies could be kind, but unfortunately, that's not the case. I just hope you can forgive us, and not judge all of us by what Cain's clan did."

Janet's expression softened, and she nodded to her. "Thank you, Brooklyn," She said bluntly. The water fairy smiled, and then dove back into the lake.

Sam and Janet smiled softly, and out of the corner of Janet's eye, she saw a small mist in the forest. The two turned around, and they noticed a few air fairies, hiding in the fog.

"Hi," Janet called out to them. The two noticed the silhouettes of the air sprites turn to them. They said nothing, but stared at the two children for some time. Eventually, they vanished into the forest.

Once they were gone, Janet asked Sam, "So, how many times have you met an air sprite?"

"Twice," Sam said, still staring at the mist. "The second time was thanks to you."

"Hm," Janet said, folding her arms. "You know what, Sam?"

"What?"

"I think that's two small a number."

* * *

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	12. Mono no aware (Pt 1)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah._

 _I am a burglar: You do that._

* * *

 **Mono no aware**

* * *

A ten year old girl sat at her computer desk, typing on her laptop. She covered her mouth and giggled as she typed a message to one of her friends online.

"Julie, are you ready to come down for dinner, yet?" Julie's mother called out from the kitchen below. The young girl briefly turned away from her computer, and called out, "In a second, mum!"

As she turned back to the computer, she whispered, "I can't wait for David Barret to get this message!"

Julie had first met the Barrets a few months ago after their trip to Camp Warner during the summer. During their stay at the camp, Julie had been kidnapped by the camp counselor, actually a vampire, and was nearly drained of all her life force. However, David had saved her, and Semele the vampire had been defeated. All she had gotten afterwards was a nasty headache for a couple weeks, but it had passed.

Though Julie and David lived in different parts of Crystal City, they sometimes kept contact with each other, usually through the computer. Julie hadn't admitted it, but she thought she may actually have a crush on the boy.

As she mused, she couldn't help but feel as if the room had gotten somewhat chilly. She ignored it for a few minutes, but she eventually felt the urge to turn to the window. To her shock, the windowsill had been pushed open.

"What?" She said, standing up. She hadn't opened the window all day.

For a moment, she stared at the window, cautious. It briefly crossed her mind that maybe, Semele had somehow been returned from the dead and was seeking revenge on her for her previous defeat. But that would be ridiculous. Julie hadn't been the one to kill her; David was.

Eventually, Julie walked over to the window, and looked out the window down at her backyard to see if anyone was there. When she saw nobody, she shrugged and pulled the windowsill down.

Slowly, Julie turned around to face her laptop. Then, she froze in her tracks.

"No."

Sitting at her computer desk, a young woman faced the laptop, her back turned to Julie. The woman had pale skin and bright red hair. However, what stuck out most to Julie was that she was wearing the clothing of a camp counselor.

 _"No. . ."_ She whispered once more, her skin paling.

Slowly, the woman turned around. Or, to be more exact, her _head_ turned around, twisting until it was facing backwards, while her body remained perfectly still. A malicious grin was plastered on her face as she glared at Julie.

It was Semele.

"No!" Julie shouted out in fear. How could this be possible? Semele was dead.

"Julie!" She heard her mother calling for her from downstairs. "Why are you screaming?"

"Mom!" Julie shouted, and dashed towards the door. As she grabbed onto it, she found that the door wouldn't open, even as she pulled with all her strength.

"What's going on!" She shouted. It was then that she felt a cold hand rest on her shoulder. Slowly turning around, she saw Semele, standing over her.

 _"Hello, Julie Matthews,"_ She whispered, her voice cold.

"W-What are you doing here?" Julie asked, stammering. "I thought you were dead!"

Semele gave a warm smile. _"My sweet child,"_ She whispered, as she rested her hand on Julie's face. _"When the lights out, we're all dead."_

Then, the cold touch of darkness whisked Julie away.

* * *

 _Read and review. I know this chapter was short, but I didn't want to stretch it out._


	13. Mono no aware (Pt 2)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah, I decided this story should have some continuity from the last._

 _I am a burglar: You are the worst kind of person. (Joking)._

* * *

The very next day, it was reported that Julie was missing.

Her parents had reported that they heard Julie screaming from within her room, and when they came up to check on her, the room was empty. There was no sign of forced entry, and no clues as to who had taken her.

When word got out about the young girl's disappearance, the local authorities were called in to investigate Julie's disappearance. When results didn't turn up, even some of her parent's neighbors joined in the search for the girl.

Alas, it was no use. Julie had completely vanished, with no trace of her to be found. The only clue anyone could find of her disappearance was that of black sand that had been found in her room.

After a few days of searching, nobody was any closer to finding Julie. Soon enough, more and more people were beginning to accept that the chances of finding Julie alive were next to nil.

Slowly, word of the girl's mysterious disappearance spread out to other parts of the city.

Eventually, it reached the Barret's household.

* * *

Sam, Janet and Isabella had noticed that David had been spending the last few days locked up in his room. Granted, he'd always been something of a loner, but his siblings couldn't help but notice that he was keeping to himself more often than usual.

The only times he wasn't in his room was when he was going to school, eating dinner, or going bike riding, but other than that, the three hardly saw him.

Janet, who knew David the most, soon deduced that it had something to do with Julie. Eventually, she and the Crystal siblings decided to see if her theory was correct.

When the three entered David's room, they found him him sitting at his computer desk, typing away on his laptop. He didn't react when they opened the door, so they figured that he hadn't noticed their entry. They simply stood at the doorway, unsure of whether they should try talking to him.

However, he unexpectedly said, without turning away from the computer, "If you're just going to stand there, I suggest you leave."

The three of them blinked a bit. Janet was the first to walk into the room, walking up to David.

"We, uh, noticed you've been cooped up in here for a couple of days," She said, placing her hand on the desk next to David. Her older brother didn't turn to face her, and simply said, uninterested, "Uh-huh."

"What have you been doing?" Isabella asked as she and Sam entered the room.

David sighed deeply. "It's hopeless," He said, getting up from the computer and wandering to the side of his bed. Janet, Sam and Isabella took the opportunity to see what he was doing on the computer.

It didn't take long to find out that he was looking up more about Julie's disappearance online.

"You worried about her?" Isabella asked, staring at the computer screen. She admittedly wasn't all that familiar with Julie, so she didn't empathize like David did.

David turned to look at her. "Don't you remember when we were at that summer camp?" He asked them. "The one with Semele, and Crystal? Julie was kidnapped, and she almost died. I saved her." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists for a moment.

"Now, she's gone again, and nobody can find her," He continued when he finally opened his eyes. "It's like she's just gone without a trace. And this time, I can't do anything about it. I feel so helpless." He sat down on the bed.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Sam comforted his brother. "You can't save everyone."

David smiled a bit, but it was soon replaced with a frown. He looked to the floor, bitter.

Janet, who had been thinking hard, suddenly said, "What if Julie vanished for inhuman reasons?"

David looked up to stare at Janet. "What are you talking about?"

Janet tugged on one of her ponytails. "It's just that, nobody's found any trace of her," She pointed out. "No clue. And we know beings like fairies and vampires exist. You think maybe it was something that wasn't human that took Julie away?"

The other three all stared at Janet. David's eyes were widened in shock.

Suddenly, he sprang up out of the bed. "We have to go to Julie's house, now!" He shouted, startling his siblings.

"Um, okay," Sam said, and the four immediately started to prepare for their journey to Julie's neighborhood.

* * *

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	14. Mono no aware (Pt 3)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: I hope so, too._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: I know._

 _I am a burglar: I know you didn't kidnap her._

* * *

At Julie's house, the girl's mother, Andrea, was sitting in the living room chair, sobbing her eyes out. Her husband, Paul, was there, trying to comfort her.

The searches for their daughter had ended disastrously, with nobody any closer to finding Julie. Nearly all their neighbors had simply giving up hope of ever finding the girl, and even Julie's parents' faith was beginning to wane.

"I can't believe she's gone!" Andrea wailed, her face buried in her hands. "Our baby is gone!"

"Don't say that, Andrea!" Paul told her. "We'll get her back! Don't give up hope now!" However, even as he said those words, his confidence of ever reuniting with Julie was as frail as his wife's, if not frailer.

The two were so consumed in their fear that they didn't notice a black mist slowly begin to surround their legs. As it encircled them, the two could feel dizzier and weaker, almost as if something, or someone, was _feeding_ off of them.

Just as quickly as it began, the mist vanished into thin air, and neither of them felt like their energy was being sapped. They still felt weak, however, but they had no idea what had happened. It had gone by so quickly.

Outside the window, watching them, a dark figure floated through the bushes. The creature's dark heart was filled with glee at the sight of the worried parents' trepidation.

 _Yes,_ The dark figure thought. _Be afraid. Your fear fuels me._

It wouldn't be long now. The creature knew that soon, its real targets would arrive.

Then it's revenge would be satisfied.

* * *

"So, Isabella?" David asked. "You know we have bikes, right?"

"Yes?"

"So, is there any reason why we didn't just use those instead of _flying one thousand feet in the air_!" He cried out, clinging to Isabella to avoid plummeting out of the sky. Next to him, Sam was flying Janet through the air in a similar manner.

"I thought you liked flying?" Sam pointed out, turning to face him.

"When it's in a plane!" David cried out, his hair blowing in the wind. "Not when the only thing keeping you off the ground is holding onto some girl from behind!"

"Oh my," Janet said, turning to stare at David and giving him a mocking sensual look.

David scrunched up his face. "Shut up!" He shouted at her. He turned to face forward, and tried to look down at the city, but Isabella's head blocked his view.

"Hey, how close are we to Julie's house?" He asked the two fairy siblings. Sam narrowed his eyes at the ground below, and spotted Julie's house in the distance.

"We're getting close!" He informed the other three. "Prepare to land!" Immediately, he and Isabella began to soar towards Julie's house.

David screamed out as he and Isabella were sent plummeting towards the ground at a fast pace. "Not so fast!" He cried out, and Isabella slowed down as the two reached the ground. At the same time, Sam and Janet landed on the ground.

"So, why are we here?" Isabella asked once they'd landed.

"Janet said something supernatural may have been involved in Julie's disappearance," David reminded them. "That would explain why no trace of her was found." He began to head to Julie's house, the other three following him.

"So, what supernatural thing do you have in mind?" Sam asked.

"Think," David told them. "What mystic creatures aside from fairies have we encountered? And what would they have to do with Julie?"

It didn't take long for David to get a response. "Well, that's easy," Janet said. "At Camp Warner, Julie was kidnapped by a-" She paused. The four all froze.

". . . Vampire," She finished. "Semele."

"Janet, Semele is dead," Sam reminded her. "We killed her, remember. David staked her through the heart."

"Yeah, but how do we know we did the trick?" David pointed out, walking up to Julie's door. "Vampires aren't as easy to kill as humans."

David promptly knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened, and Andrea appeared. "Who are you?" She asked, rubbing her sore eyes.

"I'm a friend of your daughter," David introduced. "These are my siblings. I think we may be able to help solve your daughter's disappearance."

Andrea stared at David, unsure. However, she then fully opened the door and said, "Come in."

* * *

For the next hour or so, the Barret siblings investigated the house to try and find any clues that could lead them closer to Julie. In particular, they looked for any signs that a vampire had been in the house.

They asked Julie for what they knew of the events that had led to Julie's disappearance, but unfortunately, the two could provide little help. They themselves had no idea what had happened when Julie had vanished, other than that they heard her screaming.

After an hour had passed, the Barrets could find no clues. Aggravated, the four all went to Julie's room to think things over.

"I don't get it," Isabella said, flopping on Julie's bed. "If it really is Semele, why would she target Julie? She had nothing to do with her death."

"Perhaps she's only bait," Sam suggested, crouching on the floor. "Maybe Semele, if it really is her, took Julie to lure us out. Maybe she wants revenge on us."

"Then it's our fault," David said guiltily, and sat down on the bed to contemplate things. Janet hated seeing her brother so downhearted, and turned to him.

"Hey, don't feel so-" She paused as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something through the window. A dark mist was swirling outside the window, in full view of them.

"Look at that!" Janet shouted, pointing at the window. The other three whipped their heads around and saw the black mist as well. The mist soared away from the window.

"After it!" Sam shouted, and Isabella pushed the windows open before all four of them dashed out through the window and after the black mist as it soared around the house. The mist was fast, but the kids caught up to it quickly.

The mist vanished behind the house, and the kids ducked behind a corner. Jumping out, the four kids jumped at what they saw.

Before them, a black hole had formed in the middle of the house's backyard. The black mist was swirling in front of the hole, and as the kids watched, the mist slowly took form.

Before their very eyes, the mist took the shape of a familiar person.

David narrowed his eyes when he saw what the mist had taken form of.

"Semele," He whispered darkly.

 _"Hello, my old friends,"_ Semele whispered darkly, and she gave a devilish grin.

* * *

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	15. Mono no aware (Pt 4)

_I am a burglar: If you say so..._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: I believe I can fly..._

* * *

The Barrett children felt like they were reliving their worst nightmares.

They had been anticipating this moment, but now that it had arrived, they were in stunned disbelief. Semele, one of the most evil creatures they had ever encountered, and who they had believed to be dead, was standing before them right now.

She looked different, the children could see that. She wasn't dressed in the camp counselor outfit she had worn at Camp Warren, and instead wore a dark dress. Her skin was paler now, and her lips were black. Her eyes were black and sunken in, and her red hair looked more faded.

For a moment, David wondered if this was Semele's true form, and that the form he had seen at Camp Warren was merely an illusion, a mask to hide the true terror of the malevolent vampire.

 _"Hello, my little friends,"_ Semele whispered, her voice like the wind. Behind her, the black mist continued to swirl, causing her hair and clothing to blow.

"What are you doing back here, Semele?" Sam shouted out at her. "You're supposed to be dead!"

 _"Did you really think I would fall so easily to a child?"_ Semele asked, clenching her fists. _"You've underestimated me, indeed."_

David took a step forward. "I will kill you!" He vowed. "I did it before; I'll do it again, even if it takes a hundred stakes to do it!" Despite his outward show of confidence, David was actually quaking within. Semele was, without a doubt, one of the most dangerous creatures he'd ever encountered, and he knew it was only be sheer luck they defeated her last time.

He wasn't sure if they'd do it again.

Semele laughed at David's threat. _"Is that really what you think, little boy?"_ She asked, as if sensing David's fear.

Isabella stepped forward. "Why did you take Julie?" She asked, pointing a finger at Semele. "Your beef is with us, not her!"

Semele grimaced. "Indeed, she's merely a pawn," She confessed. "But if you truly want to save her, you'll follow me!" With that, Semele summoned a black mist that transformed into a dark portal.

The kids stared at the portal. "Where does that lead?" Sam asked.

Semele grinned. "Come and find out, little boy," She whispered. She then turned and prepared to fly through the portal.

"Come back here!" Sam shouted, and he hurled a ball of energy at her. However, Semele vanished through the portal before he could hit her.

The kids stared at the portal for a moment. Then, they rushed towards it and dove through it after Semele.

* * *

The moment the children entered the portal, they were plunged into darkness.

Blinded, with scarcely a shred of light, the children plummeted through the dark pit until they landed on the ground. Sam, David and Isabella lay on the ground for a moment, and Sam could feel something hard on the ground.

They were bones.

Letting out a small scream, Sam jumped up. He saw two blue eyes staring at him, and recognized them as Isabella's. Sam's own eyes brightened, using them to illuminate the area.

The children could see that they were in what appeared to be a rather large cave. There were multiple tunnels and corridors, and there was a dreadful smell. However, what stood out most to the children was the sheer decay of the area.

The cave was littered with the skeletons and bones of the deceased. Men, women, children. . . there were hundreds, no, _thousands_ of bones of all those who had died, their lives stolen from them by a dark entity of pure malevolence.

Sam took one step, and felt a bone snap from under him. Looking down, he was surprised to see the skeleton of a dog lying under him. From the looks of it, the animal had been dead for well over a century.

"Ew," Isabella whispered, shuddering and hugging herself tightly.

"You know what, I think we should skip killing Semele," David suggested, already feeling nauseous at the scent of death in the air. "I say we just find Julie and get the heck out of here!"

Sam nodded. However, it was then that he realized someone was missing.

"Janet?" He whispered out, scanning the dark area for any signs of his sister. Isabella and David felt their blood run cold as they realized that Janet was nowhere to be found.

"Oh no," David whispered. "She. . . she took Janet."

As realization sunk in, Sam said, "I should have known! Julie was just the bait to lure us in. Semele wanted to hurt us, and she's doing it by taking Janet from us! We have to get both of them!"

A chilling silence ensued. Then, Isabella's voice whispered into the silence, "I don't think this is the work of Semele."

The boys turned to face her. "What?" David asked. "But, we saw her with our own eyes. Who else could it be."

"Look at some of these bones," Isabella said, shedding light on a row of skeletons in one particular corner. "Semele is only a little over a hundred years over. These bones look like they've been here for at least a _thousand_ years."

As Sam and David stared at the bones, they realized she was right. Whoever had killed these people, they had done it long before Semele was born.

"So, we're dealing with something. . . older than Semele?" David asked, scratching his head. "But, who could it be? And if it's not Semele, why is it targeting us?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. If this wasn't the work of Semele, he knew he'd at least had to have encountered this monster. After all, why would it good through the trouble of dragging him and his family to this other realm if it had no personal history with him?

Then, Sam heard saw the dark mist swirling through the caves, and his eyes widened in horror as realization crept into his mind.

"Oh no," He whispered, his pupils shrinking.

"What?" David and Isabella asked.

"I know who did this," Sam whispered, his voice shaking. "I know who took Julie and Janet."

Sam's skin crept, and he could feel his blood run could. For the creature that had taken Julie and Janet was an entity much darker, more ancient, and more evil than even Semele.

The three kids heard a whisper echo through the corridors that made their very souls leap.

 _"Fear me."_

* * *

 _Read and review._


	16. Mono no aware (Pt 5)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You'll find out who it is._

 _I am a burglar: At least you learned._

* * *

"Fear," Sam murmured breathlessly, his voice a whisper in the deep catacombs of the cave.

"What?" David asked, leaning in to better hear what Sam had said. Isabella continued to study the bones that decorated the dark corridors.

"It's Fear," Sam repeated, a little louder this time. His voice was shaky, and his whole body trembled. "It's the bogeyman. The one that attacked Crystal City months ago. It's Fear."

David and Isabella paused for a moment. Indeed, their encounter with the dark entity had happened so quickly that it took some time to register into their minds. However, soon, it did, and the horrific recollection of the events during Fear's rampage came flooding into their mind.

They remembered. The storm that had swirled above the city. The thousands of people who had their life force sucked out of them. And Janet being taken into the heart of the storm and slowly tormented by the dark entity before their very eyes.

They realized, to their horror, that it wasn't Semele that was haunting them. It was worse.

For it was Fear who had returned from the abyss to exact its revenge.

As realization sunk in, Sam collapsed onto the ground. "We should've known!" He shouted, slamming his fist into the ground. "It was so obvious! The way she looked just now, her voice. . . that wasn't Semele. It was the darned bogeyman who did this!"

"But how can that be?" Isabella asked, shuddering. "We defeated Fear last time."

"But we didn't kill it," Sam pointed out. "We just scared it off, and like a cancer, it came back. Now that thing has our sister!" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, angry tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I should've killed that thing when I had the chance," He whispered. Taking a deep breath, he stood up. "This time, I will."

"But how?" David asked. "That thing's not like Semele. It's something beyond human; beyond magical. How do you even know it can _be_ killed?!"

"Well, I'm about to find out!" Sam declared. "Come on!" With that, he began to rush down towards the cave, but was stopped when Isabella grabbed him by the sleeve and yanked him back.

"You don't even know where you're going!" She snapped at him. "For all you know, you could be walking into it's trap!"

David looked around. "We're already in it's trap," He mumbled, clenching his fists.

Then, a cold voice called out into the darkness, _"Welcome, my little friends."_

Sam recognized the voice instantly. It was Fear. It no longer sounded like it was imitating Semele, and Sam figured it was because Fear knew that the ruse was up.

Though the voice sent shivers down his spine, Sam mustered up the courage to reply. "What do you want with us, Fear?" He called out into the darkness. The three children looked around to try and spot Fear in the darkness, but it was a futile effort.

 _"All I want is you,"_ The voice whispered. It was coming from all directions, so the children couldn't pinpoint where Fear was.

 _"It is time to exact my revenge for what you did to me,"_ Fear continued, and the children could hear the loathing in its voice.

Despite the situation they were in, David couldn't help but chuckle. "This was your plan, wasn't it?" He called out. "You didn't want to come after us because we were the first people who scared you. So you came after Julie instead. Took the form of what she feared most and fed off of it. I bet you fed off of her parents, too, while they were scared. In the end, this was all about getting us into your territory."

There was a pause. Then, Fear whispered, _"You are a clever boy. But will it save the ones you love?"_

"Give us our sister back!" David shouted out, this time filled with anger. The sound of Fear's deranged laughter echoed throughout the caves.

 _"It wouldn't matter if I did!"_ Fear stated, its voice ringing in the children's ears. _"You're in my world, now! And you can't leave unless I will it!"_

"Then release us!" Isabella demanded, floating into the air. "Give us Janet and Julie, and let us go!"

Surprisingly, Fear replied, calmly, _"As you wish. It will be."_

With that, the three kids heard the sound of something falling onto the ground behind them. Whirling around, they saw the body of Julie, lying on the ground on the bones and skeletons.

"Julie!" David shouted, and ran towards the body. Quickly, he picked her up and held her in his arms. Checking her pulse, he found that she had a heartbeat, though it was faint.

"We have to get her to a hospital!" Isabella said.

"Wait!" Sam shouted, and turned around. "Where's our sister?"

 _"She's mine,"_ The voice whispered. Then, out of the darkness, a humanoid figure walked into view. It looked like Mirror Isabella, but distorted. Gray skin, long claws, hair the color of night, and empty, soulless eyes.

Sam took a step backwards. Though he had seen Fear in this form before, it still horrified him to see it again. Behind him, David and Isabella gasped in horror at the ghastly sight before them. Unlike Sam, they hadn't seen Fear like this before.

Fear's lips curled into a fanged smile. _"Behold, little ones,"_ It whispered. _"The face of Fear."_

* * *

 _Read and review._


	17. Mono no aware (Pt 6)

_I am a burglar: I guess..._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: No, don't! It feeds off your fear!_

* * *

It was as if Sam was seeing into his past.

He remembered so vividly the first time he had encountered Fear. The way the entity had twisted its body into a hideous caricature of Mirror Isabella to frighten him, to feed off of his fear. Now, it was doing it again.

But this time, Sam was not afraid of Fear. As he stared into Fear's black, soulless eyes, and hideous grin that deformed its mouth, Sam could only feel a burning anger and hatred deep within him.

"You. . . you heartless monster!" Sam cried out, and he surged forward towards Fear, his hands clenched into a fist. Behind him, he could barely make out David and Isabella cry out for him to stop, but he was deafened by his own rage.

His fist made contact with Fear's face, but as it did, the entity dissipated into black dust. Sam nearly stumbled over, but caught himself before he fell. He spun around tow where Fear was standing only seconds ago.

Fear's laughter echoed throughout the corridors. _"Do you really think you can hurt me in my own world?"_ It asked, and the three children saw it rise up from the ground a good distance away. As it did, its claws grew longer and more grotesque.

 _"No, humans,"_ It sneered, flashing its claws. _"You're playing by_ my _rules, now."_

Sam let out a shout of rage, and lunged forward, his arm transforming into a crystal blade. Fear surged forwards, and the two collided with each other. David and Isabella watched in horror as Sam and Fear grappled and fought with each other, exchanging blows and slashing at each other with their blades and claws.

Fear's arm shot out and struck Sam's face, and he went flying to the ground.

"Come on, you freak!" Isabella shouted out, and she too joined the fray. She kicked out, but Fear nonchalantly ducked under the blow. At that point, David followed Isabella as well. He knew he had no powers of his own, but he wasn't about to let his siblings fight this monster alone.

Isabella and David each exchanged blows against Fear, but the entity managed to dodge most of them. Occasionally, Fear was struck, but its injuries vanished within moments.

Suddenly, Sam sprang up and grabbed Fear from behind. Before the entity could free itself, Sam flipped Fear over his hand and slammed it onto the ground. It lay there, not moving.

Sam aimed his crystal blade at Fear's chest, and let out a cry as he drove the blade through the entity. Suddenly, Fear imploded into black dust, swirling around the three children.

 _"I admire your fight,"_ Fear applauded as it reformed itself a distance away. _"I haven't met someone with such determination in over sixty years!"_

"We won't rest until we get our sister back!" Sam declared, aiming his blade at Fear. "I don't care how long you've lived, I will kill you!"

To Sam's surprise, Fear grinned. _"If you want your sister back, you only need to do one, simply thing,"_ It claimed. As it did, he pointed up into the air. The three children looked to where Fear was pointing, and their eyes widened in horror.

"Janet!" David cried out. Indeed, Janet's unconscious body was hanging from the ceiling, suspended by a black thread. Her skin was pale and ghostly, her head hunched over.

Turning to Fear, Sam said, "Let her go!"

 _"I will,"_ Fear reassured, only to add, _"If you only do this one thing."_

Grabbing onto one of the many corpses littered on the ground, Fear slung it over to Sam's feet. The three children looked down at the corpse. It was the body of a young girl, around Janet's age.

 _"Stab it,"_ Fear said. _"Stab it with your blade. If you do this, I will let your precious Janet go, and you can all leave my world safely."_

Sam looked up at Fear with wary eyes. "How do I know this isn't a trick?" He asked.

 _"I always keep my word,"_ Fear reassured the three children. Despite this, it let out a malicious grin.

Isabella walked up. "If it will get us our sister back," She said, scratching the back of her head uncomfortably. "Then I guess we'll do it."

Sam sighed, and looked down at the corpse. Aiming his blade at it, he lowered it towards the corpse' shoulder. It pressed against the corpses' skin. Sam paused for a moment, and took a deep breath.

Then, his blade pierced the corpses' skin.

Instantly, blood streamed out of the corpses' wound. Sam saw the blood, and gasped and jumped away in shock and horror. As he did, the corpse started moving around and coughing.

"W-What's going on?" Sam asked, turning to Fear, who was cackling evilly.

"Look what you've done to your own sister!" Fear shouted, and with a wave of his arm, the hanging Janet crumpled to dust from the ceiling. At the same time, the corpses' skin was peeled off, and Sam's eyes widened in horror as he saw Janet in its place, a deep wound in his shoulder where he had stabbed her.

"No!" Sam cried out, rushing over and taking Janet in his arms. He realized, to his horror, that Fear must've disguised Janet as one of the corpses, so when he stabbed the corpse, he had really stabbed Janet.

Looking up at Fear, his eyes streaming with tears, Sam cried out, "You monster!"

David and Isabella rushed up to Sam and Janet, both of them covering their mouths in horror. Fear just continued to laugh, only to stop and say, _"It appears she has been badly hurt. I can fix it, though."  
_

The three children looked up at Fear suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

 _"I can fix her wounds and she'll be brand new,"_ Fear claimed. _"But. . ."_

"But what?!" Isabella shouted.

"She and Julie can go, but the three of you will have to stay here with me," Fear bargained. "Their lives for your own. What do you say?"

Sam stared at Fear, then looked down at Janet. She was wincing her pain, blood seeping from her shoulder. Her skin was paling. It pained Sam to see her like this, and he did want to see her get better.

But he was snapped out of his thoughts when he realized who he was bargaining with. Fear, a vengeful monster who didn't care about anything except itself, a creature who could not be trusted.

Looking up at Fear, Sam bluntly said, "No."

Fear's smirk vanished. _"What did you say?"_ It asked, as if it hadn't heard correctly.

"We know better than to make deals with the likes of you, Fear," Sam declared, getting off the ground and holding Janet in his arms. "We'll find a way to save Janet on our own. She'll get better. But we'll never need you to help us."

Fear stared at the children in shock, its jaw hanging open in disbelief.

"You said you'd release us if we did as you say," Sam reminded. "If you're really a creature of your word, you'll do it. Now!"

Fear gritted its teeth in anger, enraged at its plan having failed. Reluctantly, Fear waved its arm, and the dark portal appeared out of thin air. It hovered in front f the children, leading back to the real world.

"Go," Fear spat out, collapsing onto the ground in misery. "Take Janet and Julie with you."

Immediately, David grabbed the unconscious Julie and picked her up. Taking her, he and Isabella quickly ran through the portal. Sam, holding Janet, took one last look at a miserable Fear. The entity avoided his gaze.

Sam sighed, then vanished through the portal as well.

* * *

About a day later, Janet and Julie were in the hospital, recovering from their wounds. Julie was healing rather well, while Janet's shoulder wound needed to be stitched.

Julie's parents were overjoyed to see their daughter back, and had spent nearly the entire day with her in the hospital.

David and Isabella stood at the hospital door, watching Julie talking with her parents. In spite of her traumatic experience, she looked so happy to be back. David gave a weak smile.

Then, they turned to Janet to see Sam standing above the hospital bed, looking down at her. He was wringing his hands nervously, tears in his eyes.

"Janet," He whispered, his voice filled with remorse. "I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I'm so sorry that I stabbed you. I thought I was saving you, but I. . . I'll understand if you don't forgive me, but-"

He was cut off when Janet suddenly sprang from the hospital bed and grabbed Sam, pulling him into a deep hug. She held onto the fairy, tears of joy in her eyes.

"I don't understand," Sam whispered in disbelief. "How can you-"

"I forgive you, Sam," Janet whispered into his ear. "It wasn't your fault."

Sam stood there, frozen for a moment. Then, he returned the hug. "I love you, sis."

"I love you, Sam," Janet whispered back, hugging him tighter.

And close by, David and Isabella smiled happily.

* * *

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	18. Hero (Pt 1)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Well, Fear is a villain. It's what they do._

* * *

 **Hero**

* * *

Brenda Collins had always felt like a bit of an outcast.

She and her parents, Bob and Mary, had moved into Crystal City a couple years ago. During her new like in the city, she was mostly ignored by the people around her, including her parents. Her only real friend was Izzy, who she later found out was a fairy from another dimension. Despite that, Brenda's life was a rather dreary and boring existence.

That appeared to change after the events that had led to the discovery of Sam's mirror, which led to the Mirror Dimension. Brenda had been one of the first people to learn of it, and had accompanied David and Janet, former enemies of hers, in their fight against Mirror Isabella to save Crystal City. Ultimately, they succeeded, and Mirror Isabella had been stopped.

Brenda had learned many things that day, and she even got a sort of souvenir in the form of a lightning-shaped scar across her body, a rather painful reminder of her clash with Mirror Isabella. She was lucky the bolt didn't kill her.

After that, Sam, Isabella and the Barrets had been hailed heroes for their actions. Brenda, on the other hand, had hardly been noticed.

Looking back on it, she wondered if the reason for this was merely who she was. Sam and Isabella were fairies, and the Barrets were the people who adopted them, making them related to the fair folk. Brenda, on the other hand, had no relation to the fairy world besides being friends with one, which wasn't as significant as being family. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she hadn't played a major part in saving the city. She'd been the first to be taken down, in fact.

So, in spite of all that had happened, Brenda Collins was still something of an outcast. All that had changed was that the Barrets were now her friends, and that she had a cool scar.

But little did she know, that was soon about to change.

* * *

Brenda sat on the log facing the frozen tar pit, which had been frozen by Sam during the battle with Mirror Isabella. A group of young forest fairies were skating on the tar pit and playing with each other. Nearby, two other fairies were hurling balls of magic energy at each other.

Brenda was too focused on the fairies skating that she didn't notice when one of the other fairies accidentally tossed the energy ball into her direction. By the time she noticed it, the energy ball had struck the log she was sitting on, causing a large ripple of energy that surged from the log into Brenda's body, causing the girl to jump up from it, suppressing a scream.

The other fairies stopped what they were doing and turned to Brenda, who was fidgeting in pain. A few of them laughed at the awkward way she moved.

Brenda froze when she saw the fairies laughing at her plight. She shrunk down in humiliation, when she noticed a shadow cast over her head. Her eyes widened in shock as Isabella soared to the ground before her.

"Hey, all of you get out of here!" Isabella shouted at the other fairies, and hurled an energy blast at them, causing them to scatter. Once they were all gone, Isabella turned to her human friend.

"Are you alright, Brenda?" Isabella asked.

Brenda shrugged, still somewhat embarrassed. "I think I need to go for a walk," She said, excusing herself. She walked off into the forest, leaving Isabella at the tar pit.

Isabella sighed. She was aware of how isolated Brenda was from the rest of her friends. As much as she cared about her friend, though, she had no idea how she could help her.

* * *

Brenda wasn't sure how long she'd been walking. She usually walked to clear her mind, and sometimes she lost track of her surroundings.

It wasn't long before she found herself in the water regions. Though the water regions were now open to humans and other fairies, most people still tended to avoid them after the water fairies invaded Crystal City.

It wasn't long before Brenda noticed a trio of older air fairies near a lake. As she watched them, she saw that they were all looming over a cornered fairy, though she couldn't quite tell if it was a forest or water sprite.

The water fairies were punching and kicking the cornered fairy to the ground violently, laughing gleefully. Brenda watched on, wincing at their cruelty but finding herself unwilling to do anything. How could she, a ten year old girl, do anything to stop these fairies?

Reluctantly, Brenda turned to walk away, hoping they wouldn't notice her. She had hardly gotten a few feet when she heard one of them call out, "Hey! Brenda!"

She froze, and slowly turned around to see the air fairies staring at her. It briefly perplexed her as to how these fairies knew her name, but it left her mind as one of the fairies approached her.

"Where do you think you're going, girl?" The air fairy asked, appearing to be the leader.

"N-Nowhere," Brenda replied, somewhat replied.

"Right," The air fairy said. Grabbing Brenda by the collar, he shouted, "Come here!"

Dragging her to the injured fairy, the water fairy threw a large tree branch to Brenda, who caught it. "Look at this piece of filth!" The air fairy said, pointing at the injured fairy, who Brenda now realized was a water sprite.

"Give this filth what he deserves!" The air fairy commanded, shoving Brenda towards him. The girl stumbled, nearly dropping the branch. She stared down at the water fairy, who was covered in bruises and scars. Blood was streaming from its wounds.

Even though water fairies had attacked her home in the past, Brenda was aware that not all of them had taken part in it. "I don't know. . ." She mumbled, unsure of how to respond.

The air fairies looked surprised. "Oh, come on," The leader said. "Do it. These things attacked your home."

"I really need to go," Brenda suddenly said, shakily dropping the branch and hurriedly heading off in the opposite direction. She heard one of the air fairies call out, "Hey, come back here!" But she ignored them.

She could feel the air fairies following her, so she picked up the pace. Unexpectedly, she noticed Janet walk out from the bushes.

"Hey, back off!" The younger girl shouted towards the air fairies, giving the leader a slight push. Brenda stopped and turned to her younger friend.

"Janet?" She asked, surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Janet said, turning back to her. "You just go home! Now!" She then turned back to face the air sprites.

A side of Brenda wanted to stay there with Janet to make sure she was safe. However, another side told her to simply leave and forget the whole thing. Janet turned back to her, and said, "Go!"

Brenda didn't stay there to see how things panned out. She ran.

Later on, she wished she would've stayed.

* * *

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	19. Hero (Pt 2)

_Al Drin Hoshizora:...Because humans are allowed in the fairy realm now?_

 _I am a burglar: You really don't want to do that._

* * *

A few hours later, Brenda was at her home, knitting, when she heard a knock at the door.

Arriving to open it, Brenda was surprised to see David, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, Brenda," He said, frowning. Brenda was rather perturbed by David's expression; he looked rather insecure, and was scratching the back of his head awkwardly. One foot was behind the other, and he was fidgeting.

"What's up?" Brenda asked, trying to ignore his uncharacteristic expression.

"Um, apparently you and Janet were in the water regions," David pointed out. "Well, it's been a few hours, and it's getting dark, and we haven't seen Janet since you left. Sam and Isabella are getting kind of worried. Have you seen her?"

Brenda blinked. She recalled how Janet had defended her from the air fairies and how she had left, but she hadn't thought much of it. She figured the other fairies wouldn't want any trouble with the forest fairies by taking Janet.

"Well, not really," Brenda replied, shrugging. "I did see her in the water regions, but I left early."

"Well, what happened?" David asked, tapping his fingers together.

"Not much," Brenda said. "We just saw a couple fairies near the lake. I left, and she stayed behind."

She didn't say much about what had happened, but she felt there wasn't much to say. Brenda admittedly couldn't distinguish between the three fairy types as well as the Barrets, who practically lived with them. Isabella had only just now been trying to show her how to tell the difference between the forest, air and water fairies, but it hadn't had much effect.

David's already forlorn face fell even more. "Oh, okay Brenda," He said, his shoulders slumping. "I guess I'll be going."

It pained Brenda to see David like this. "Hey, I'm sure she's alright," She reassured, and gave David a small peck on the cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow," She said before closing the door. As she did though, she pondered if what she had told David were true.

Was Janet really alright? Nobody had seen her, and she had last seen her in the water regions, and from what she knew, the water fairies still weren't comfortable with humans in the fairy dimension.

Hopefully, is something was amiss, Sam and the Barrets would handle things.

That seemed to be how things usually went.

* * *

Sam and Isabella stormed through the forest of the fairy dimension towards the large lake in the water regions, where most of the water sprites resided. They were fuming, and the other fairies could tell from the looks on their faces that they weren't happy.

Most of the water fairies retreated underwater when they saw the two forest fairies coming. Sam and Isabella reached the lake, and the latter shouted, "Cain, come up here this instant!"

When she received no answer, Isabella summoned a ball of energy and hurled it into the lake, causing the entire lake to ripple with electricity.

After a few moments, the two young forest fairies saw the large form of Cain appear from the depths of the lake. His arms were folded, and he had a cross look on his face as he floated into the air above the two children.

"Cain," Sam growled angrily, clenching his fists, the memories of the water fairy's attack on Crystal City still fresh in his mind.

"Why have you disturbed my home?" Cain asked as he landed on the shore before the two forest fairies, who backed up a bit. Cain still bore the wounds from his last battle with Sam, but he still towered over the two children.

"You know exactly why we're here!" Sam declared, pointing a finger at Cain. "My sister has disappeared, and I think you have something to do with it!"

"What makes you think that?" Cain asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She was last seen in your territory," Isabella said, taking a step forward. "Janet's not the type of person to stay this long in a place surrounded by _your_ kind. Besides, I know you hold a grudge against you for foiling your attempts to destroy Crystal City."

"I admit, my distaste for you after that little incident has not passed," Cain said. "But I am not responsible for your. . . "sister's" disappearance. Why would I bring the wrath of the entire forest fairy community down upon my clan out of petty vengeance?"

"Because you're a very petty man," Isabella said, glowering up at him.

Cain's face hardened. "Believe what you want," He sneered. "I shall not stand here and be falsely accused. Get out of my territory now." With that, he turned around and dove back into the lake, vanishing into the depths below.

Sam growled. He was about to jump in after him, but Isabella held him back. "No Sam, we're not going to accomplish anything by following him," She said. "We have to tell the other forest fairies."

* * *

Sam, Isabella and Mirror Samson spent the next several minutes calling as many forest fairies in the valley into one specific area so they could have a meeting.

"Everyone, we have called you here to discuss a very important matter," Sam was explaining to the dozens of forest fairies that had been gathered around. "A few hours ago, our sister Janet has vanished."

A gasp of surprise arose among the forest fairies who knew Janet. Kizzy huddled next to mother, uncomfortable.

"According to Brenda, she was last seen in the water regions," Isabella continued. "We went to talk to Cain, the leader of the water fairies, but he's refused to explain anything about Janet's whereabouts."

Some of the forest fairies began mumbling among themselves. After the attack on Crystal City, most of them had grown distrustful of Cain, and the water fairies in general.

"Well, given our. . . past with the water sprites, we have reason to believe they may be responsible for Janet's disappearance," Sam said. "So, I'd appreciate it if we searched the valley, and especially the water regions, to find my sister, and those responsible for her being missing. Thank you, everybody."

Immediately, the forest fairies dispersed into the forest, scattering to try and find Janet in the large valley. Sam watched them leave, and breathed heavily.

He only hoped that Janet was okay.

* * *

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	20. Hero (Pt 3)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Who?_

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Indeed._

 _I am a burglar: Maybe because of what happened in the first arc of the story._

* * *

The very next morning, the water regions were flooded with forest fairies.

The news of Janet's disappearance had spread quickly through the forest, and quickly, more and more forest fairies had taken the opportunity to join the search for the missing human girl. And as the water regions had been the last area Janet was seen in, they were soon invaded by the searching forest fairies.

Before long, water fairies were startled to find throngs of forest fairies swarming their lakes and rivers in their massive search. Some water fairies were grabbed from their lakes and questioned by the forest fairies on the girl's whereabouts.

"Tell us where she is, water sprite!" A forest fairy demanded as he and two others surrounded a lone water fairy next to a tree.

"I don't know, honest," The water fairy replied meekly. Unsatisfied, the forest fairy zapped the water fairy with a volt of electricity. The other forest fairies took part in the beating, and then left to continue their search, leaving the bloodied water fairy lying on the ground.

In the largest lake in the water regions, Cain stood in the midst of it, bellowing out, "What is the meaning of all this?! I demand to know why you have invaded our homes!"

Mirror Samson floated towards Cain. "You're a fine one to talk about invading peoples' homes!" He snapped at the water fairy, hovering in the air. "We know you have something to do with Janet's disappearance! Now tell us!"

"I refuse!" Cain spat at the young forest fairy. "I had nothing to do with that filthy human's disappearance."

Mirror Samson narrowed his eyes, but Cain held his ground. "Fine, if you won't tell us, then we'll just have to keep searching!" He snapped at the older fairy before storming off, frustrated.

He and his siblings hadn't come any closer to finding Janet, and none of the water fairies were providing any assistance.

It was as if Janet had totally vanished altogether.

* * *

Brenda had arrived in the mirror dimension when she heard of what was transpiring in the valley.

She had not expected that things would spiral out of control so quickly. She'd figured that Janet had merely lost track of time while in the mirror dimension and would've returned by now. Instead, the water regions had been flooded by the fairies looking for her.

"I'm the one who last saw her," Brenda said to herself. "I should go find her and set things right."

Brenda had always liked Janet, even if her relationship with her brother hadn't been exactly amicable for the years she'd known them. If something did happen to her, she'd never forgive herself. But she knew the forest fairies wouldn't listen to her.

So she would just have to go find Janet herself.

* * *

The first person Brenda went to go find was the water fairy she'd encountered earlier, the one who had been attacked by the trio of air fairies the day before.

It didn't take long for her to find him. He was lounging at the top of a tree, eating a fruit absentmindedly. She could see he still bore the wounds from his beating from earlier.

Waving her arms, Brenda called out, "Hey!"

The water fairy paused for a moment. Looking down, he asked, "What do you want? Are you a forester?"

Brenda assumed that he meant forest fairy. She shook her head and said, "No, I'm just a regular human girl, coming to visit. Could I talk to you for a moment?"

"What's a human doing in the water regions?" The water fairy asked, not moving from the tree. He had a suspicious look in his blue eyes as he stared down at the small girl.

"A friend of mine disappeared here not too long ago," Brenda replied, folding her arms. "I was wondering if you knew anything about that."

The water fairy's eyes widened. "Hey, I remember you!" He said, finally jumping out from the tree and landing on the ground. "You're that human who was with those air sprites! Brenda, was it?'

Brenda was somewhat relieved that some of the fairies actually knew her name. "That is correct," She said, smiling. "My friend is named Janet, and I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened after I left. You were there when she vanished, right?"

The water fairy narrowed his eyes at Brenda. "You humans have caused nothing but trouble since you got here," He sneered at her. "The forest fairies never should of let you in."

"Hey, you don't have to be rude about it," Brenda said, offended. "After all, we didn't launch an attack on your city and try to kill everyone there, remember?"

The water fairy growled angrily, and for a moment, Brenda thought he was going to attack her. Instead, he said, "I don't have to help you do anything. Find your friend on your own." With that, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Brenda shouted, causing him to stop. "If you leave. . . I'll tell the forest fairies where you live, and that you were there when Janet went missing, and then they'll be coming for you!"

It was empty threat; she knew that. She didn't know where any of the water fairies lived, other than that they liked water. But she was willing to do anything to get help in finding Janet.

The water fairy's eyes glowed. "Give me one reason I shouldn't vaporize you right now," He threatened.

"Because then two humans will be missing, and the other fairies won't like that, now will they?" Brenda asked. She saw the look of fear in his eyes when she said that. She knew that she had the upper hand in this case.

The water fairy let out a sigh. "Alright," He groaned. "I'll help you.

* * *

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	21. Hero (Pt 4)

_I am a burglar: Sure..._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: I guess..._

* * *

A few minutes later, Brenda and the water fairy were on their way.

"So, where did you last see my friend?" Brenda asked as they walked through the water regions. "And what happened after I left?"

"Well, I don't have much to tell you," The water fairy replied, a dull look in his eyes. "After you left, your little friend was scolding those air fairies and lecturing them on not starting fights. I have no idea why she would say that, especially to air fairies."

"Maybe because starting fights is wrong," Brenda snapped, narrowing her eyes at the water fairy. "But I guess your kind wouldn't know that."

The water fairy turned to glare at Brenda for a moment, then continued, saying, "What I meant was you don't talk like that to an air fairy. The other fairies would never cross an air fairy. We don't trespass into their land, we don't try and provoke them, and we definitely don't try to chastise them."

"Why not?" Brenda asked.

"You just don't," The water fairy said. "It's been that way for nearly a hundred years."

Brenda realized that the two were getting off topic. "What happened afterwards?" She asked.

"I don't know," The water fairy said, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. "I left."

"You left?!" Brenda shouted out, turning to stare at him in shock. "Why?"

"I figured that when those air fairies inevitably stopped focusing on that girl, they'd turn back to me," The water fairy explained. "So I left before that could happen. I don't know what happened to your friend afterwards."

Brenda had felt like she had been slapped in the face. The one person she felt could help stop this chaos, and he was just as useless an anyone else. She clenched her fists and, in a fit of rage, punched the tree closest to her.

"This is so pointless!" She shouted to the water fairy. "If my friends and the other fairies don't find Janet, things are just going to spiral out of control even more!"

The water fairy squinted his eyes. "Why is everyone so concerned over this human girl?" He asked.

Brenda turned to face him. "Because she's the brother of one of the most famous fairies in the whole darn valley!" She exclaimed. "Sam, remember him? The one who helped save Crystal City several times! The reason humans can even enter the fairy dimension! Janet's the whole reason he was able to do all of this! If she disappears, the fairies that care about Sam won't rest until they find her!"

"Then why are my kind suffering for it?" The water fairy asked angrily, taking a step forward.

Brenda folded her arms. "Well you water sprites haven't shown yourselves to be very trustworthy, have you?" She asked.

"Not all of us took part in the attack on Crystal City," The water fairy said through gritted teeth.

"Well you didn't stop the ones who did participate in the attack," Brenda snapped. "If it weren't for the forest fairies, everyone in Crystal City would be dead right now, including my parents."

The water fairy's face softened. He let out a sigh, then said, "I think I may have an idea where your friend is," He said after a pause.

Hearing this, Brenda's face lit up. "You did?" She asked, feeling a glimmer of hope.

"Yeah," The water fairy said uncomfortably. "The only problem is, neither of us are going to like where I think she is."

"I don't care!" Brenda declared. "I'd do anything to get Janet back! Get's go!"

She was about to set off walking, but then stopped and turned back to the water fairy.

"I never did catch your name," She pointed out.

"What, are we partners now?" The water fairy asked sarcastically.

"In a way, yes," Brenda said, with a smile.

"Alright," The water fairy said. "My name is Nexus."

"Cool name," Brenda said, and shook the fairy's hand. "Come on, let's go, Nexus!"

And with that, the two set off through the forest.

* * *

The water regions were littered with the belongings of the water fairies as the forest fairies scoured their territory in search of the missing human girl. The longer Janet had been missing, the more brutal the forest fairies had become towards the water fairies. It wasn't uncommon to see a water fairy accosted by several other fairies in an attempt to force information from him or her.

Sam, David and Isabella walked through the water regions, a look of dread in their eyes as they watched the forest fairies terrorize the water fairies. Even though they had instigated the search, none of them thought it would proceed like this.

"We were just supposed to find Janet," David whispered. "Not hurt so many people."

"I don't like water fairies, but even I think this has gone too far," Isabella mumbled. She rushed out into the center of the area, and began shouting out towards the forest fairies.

"Everyone, quit it right now!" She demanded. "We're looking for my sister, not destroying this region. What's gotten into everybody?!"

Some of the forest fairies listened to Isabella and looked somewhat remorseful, but others paid her no attention.

At that point, David's eyes lit up. "Brenda!" He said aloud.

"What about her?" Isabella asked, turning to face him.

"Brenda said she saw Janet yesterday in the water regions," He said. "When I asked her about it, she looked like of fishy, like she wasn't telling me the whole story."

"David, it's Brenda," Sam said. "She wouldn't hide anything from us."

"Maybe, but I think something else happened there that she didn't talk about," David said. "And I'm going to find out what!"

With that, he turned and vanished into the forest.

* * *

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	22. Hero (Pt 5)

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: I wonder, too._

* * *

Brenda felt like her soul had been torn from her body when she found herself at the entrance of the misty regions.

The misty regions were the home of the air fairies, the most enigmatic of fairykind. They were comprised of a mass of dark fog that concealed all that was within it. Everything within the misty regions was invisible to those outside it. Brenda secretly wondered how the air fairies managed to see within those regions.

Next to her, Nexus stood shakily, gulping as he hesitantly began to walk towards the regions.

"Are you scared?" Brenda asked him when she noticed his expression and mannerisms. The water fairy turned to face her, looking offended.

"No," He denied, even as sweat dripped from his forehead. "It's just that... most fairies don't go to the misty regions. The air fairies don't like that."

"Territorial much?" Brenda asked, casually walking towards the misty regions, trying to look brave and confident. She paused when she saw Nexus hesitating, and gestured for him to follow. With a sigh, he did.

Brenda forced her way into the mist, inhaling the dark fog as she passed it. She coughed on it, and covered her mouth and nose in order to not breath in anymore of the mist. Behind her, Nexus followed, shielding his face as the two entered the misty regions.

For a few moments, the two stumbled aimlessly through the fog, unable to see where they were going. Then, the mists ceased, and the two could see that they were in another part of the forest.

"Whoa," Brenda whispered, looking around in awe. This part of the forest looked more mystical than the other regions she had seen. There were blue wisps floating in the air, and sparkling lakes and glowing hillsides. However, she couldn't see any air fairies.

"So, why are we here?" Brenda asked, nudging Nexus, who was still shaking.

"I just need to ask them if they know where your friend is," Nexus replied.

"Well, where are they?" Brenda asked, looking around. She couldn't see any air fairies nearby.

"Hello!" She called out, causing Nexus to flinch. "Is anyone out here?!"

Nexus cupped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet," He whispered, and looked around urgently. Removing his hand from Brenda's mouth, he said, "Come out. We only want to talk."

In the vacant forest, Brenda and Nexus could hear slight whispering flow through the air. Slowly, a swarm of mists gathered around before them, and the two could see several figures appear within them.

"The air fairies," Nexus whispered, and crept back. Brenda, on the other hand, watched on in awe, her eyes widening.

The figures increased in size before leaving the mist, revealing a group of fairies, their figures partially concealed in mist.

Brenda let out a small gasp when she saw them. The air fairies looked different from the other fairies. They had pale skin with a dusting of mist covering them, and their ghostly eyes omitted a pale blue light. They were all crouched down, staring at the two intruders.

Brenda gulped, and whispered, "Hello?"

The air fairies payed Brenda no heed; they were all staring at Nexus.

"Water fairy," One of them hissed. "What are you doing here?"

A trembling Nexus said, "I just came here to ask if you knew about the human girl that went missing. Brenda, here, really wants to find her."

"Water fairies are not allowed here," One of the water fairies sneered. "Not after what they did to the human city."

"Not all of us were apart of that," Nexus tried to say, but he was interrupted.

"You know the consequences, water fairy," The air fairy whispered, the mist around him growing larger. He pointed a finger at Nexus, and the other air fairies began to advance forward.

Brenda jumped in front of Nexus. "Wait, stop!" She said, trying to shield him. "He's just trying to help me find my friend. Not all the water fairies were apart of the attack!"

One of the air fairies waved her arm, and Brenda was telekinetically sent flying to the side. She crashed onto the ground, dazed.

"Brenda!" Nexus shouted, but before he could rush to her, the air fairies surrounded him from all sides and seized him. He struggled, but was no match for the air fairies' superior numbers. They gripped him and pulled him to the ground before proceeding to drag him, kicking and clawing, away into the mists.

Then, they vanished into the fog.

* * *

Brenda's eyes fluttered open when she felt a warm tongue licking her.

Sitting up, she found Ballard the cat licking her face. Her eyes widened as she looked around to see that she was no longer in the misty regions. She was near the cave where the Crystals lived.

"Brenda," A voice said from behind her, shaking her slightly. Brenda's eyes widened when she recognized the voice.

Turning around, Brenda squinted her eyes and whispered, "Janet?"

She recognized the blue eyes. The brown hair in twin pigtails. The youthful and energetic face. There was no doubt; this was Janet.

"Janet!" Brenda shouted, stumbling backwards. "It's you! It's really you!"

Janet blinked once, and looked at her hands. "Yeah, it's me," She said, somewhat confused. She was even more taken aback when Brenda suddenly wrapped her arms around her in a huge embrace.

"Where were you?" She asked once she released her.

"I was lost," Janet said simply. "In the human world. I found my way back and... where is Sam? David? Isabella?"

"They're looking for you!" Brenda shouted, pointing a finger at her. "Everyone's gone crazy since you left. The forest fairies and the water fairies are getting into a really big fight over you! Things are getting out of hand! You need to come back and fix things!"

"Really?" Janet shouted, startled. "Well, what're we standing around here for? Come on, let's go!" She grabbed Brenda by the hand, and with that, she and Brenda rushed out of the caves and out into the forest towards the water regions.

* * *

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	23. Hero (Pt 6)

_I am a burglar: Uh-huh._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah, she was._

* * *

Brenda and Janet rushed through the forest towards the water regions, the former filling in the latter on what had transpired in her absence.

"Wait, so everyone got this worked up over me?" Janet asked in shock as Brenda finished her story, before smiling. "Wow, I didn't know everyone cared that much."

"No time for heartwarming!" Brenda exclaimed. "We have to get to the water realm, now! Before the forest fairies damage their truce with the water fairies to the point of being irreparable!" The two continued running at a fast pace, and eventually reached the water regions.

Upon arriving, the two saw that the forest around the water regions had been thoroughly wrecked. Water fairies were hiding or retreating, with forest fairies pursuing them relentlessly,

"Who knew that being gone for just a day would cause this much chaos!" Janet said as she and Brenda crawled over a fallen tree. "I have to find my brothers and sister before it's too late!"

Brenda stopped. "I don't understand; what were you doing in the human world?" She asked. "Nobody saw you leave."

"I don't know," Janet confessed. "After that big blowout with those air fairies, I just blacked out for some reason. When I woke up, I was in some random spot in the city. I didn't know where I was, so I spent the whole day trying to get back home."

Brenda squinted her eyes. "That sounds... weird," She said, confused. "How did you just randomly wake up in the human city? It's not like you were sleepwalking."

Janet shrugged, and paused for a moment to register in her mind what had happened. "No, I wasn't sleepwalking," She said, squinting her eyes. "The only way I could've gotten there would be if-" She paused, and then her eyes widened.

"-If someone else put me there!" She cried out in shock. She turned to Brenda with widened eyes.

"Brenda, I think I know who did this!" She cried out.

* * *

Sam, David and Isabella stood at the primary section of the water region, watching as the forest fairies continued their futile search for Janet. The forest was in shambles as the forest fairies grew increasingly reckless in their search.

"This has gone on far too long!" Sam said, seething as he watched the forest fairies destroy the water regions. "Just because my sister is missing doesn't mean we should destroy their homes!"

Racing into the midst of the chaos, Sam summoned a ball of energy and blasted it into the air. The energy ball exploded over the forest, causing all heads to turn to the one that launched it.

"Stop it, all of you!" Sam shouted out, his normally blue eyes now red with rage. "Can't you see all the damage you're causing? We just wanted to find Janet; not ruin these fairies' homes!"

For a moment, there was silence in the region. The forest fairies stared at Sam, a mutual look of embarrassment in their eyes.

Eventually, Kizzy spoke. "But these fairies attacked your home, Sam," She reminded, referring to when Cain's clan attacked Crystal City not too long ago.

Isabella stepped forward. "Do you think that these water fairies had anything to do with that?" She asked, pointing to the multitudes of water fairies that stood timidly around the damaged water regions. As the forest fairies gazed upon them, they found that they couldn't recognize most of them as being apart of the attack on Crystal City.

"If you really want to help find Janet, you'll stop this right now!" David demanded, standing next to Sam. "Destroying this region won't bring us any closer to finding my sister!"

"Sam!"

Sam's eyes widened and he whipped his head in the direction of the voice. He recognized it instantly.

"Can it be?" He whispered in disbelief.

"David!" The voice called out, and the siblings saw a young girl with tangled brown hair push herself through the crowd of fairies, Brenda following close behind.

Sam couldn't believe his eyes. "Janet!" He shouted out, and the two hugged each other tightly. After getting over the initial surprise, David and Isabella joined in the hug as well, glad to see their sister safe. Brenda watched from a short distance away, a small smile on her face.

Sam pulled out of the hug. "We were looking all over for you, Janet," He said, concerned. "Where were you?"

"I was in the human world," Janet replied.

A gasp of shock arose from all the fairies present, including from her siblings.

"You mean, you weren't in the water regions?" Isabella asked, in horror. "We were looking in the wrong place the whole time?"

"Yeah," Janet said, putting her hands on her hips. As she looked around the thoroughly wrecked region, she added, "Looks like you were really doing a bang-up job looking for me, huh?"

Several of the forest fairies looked to the floor in guilt and embarrassment. Kizzy said, "So, the water fairies had nothing to do with your disappearance."

Before Janet could reply, Brenda spoke up. "No, does it look like any of them are guilty of hurting Janet?" She asked. "Just because some of them have hurt people in the past, doesn't mean we should hurt _all_ of them in return."

"I know some of you forest fairies aren't exactly innocent of hurting humans, either," David said, folding his arms.

Sam turned to Janet. "So, why were you in the human world?" He asked.

"I was knocked out and taken there," Janet said. "Someone intentionally placed me in a random area of the city so I couldn't get home, or at least, not very quickly. And I think I know who did it."

Sam, David and Isabella stared at Janet. Then, their eyes widened as realization dawned upon them.

Sam narrowed his eyes. "I think we know, too," He said through gritted teeth. "And we're going to make them pay!"

* * *

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	24. Hero (Pt 7)

_I am a burglar: Okay..._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: Indeed it was. They should have been searching in the human realm._

* * *

Nexus was bound to the side of a rocky cliff, his hands and feet encased in ice to keep him from moving. Before him were a crowd of air fairies, partly concealed within a cloud of mist. Their glowing blue eyes glimmered within the mist, as if dozens of blue fire were floating in the air.

"Nexus, you have violated our laws," A voice whispered from the mists. "You have entered our region, which is forbidden to water fairies. For your actions, you must pay the consequences. Do you have anything you'd like to say for yourself?"

Nexus bit his lip in distaste, looking to the side to avoid the haunting glare of the crowd of air fairies staring at him. Despite his fear, he spoke.

"For all my life, I've despised myself for who I am," He said quietly. "I was a water fairy. Of all the fairies, we were the weakest, and every day I had to be reminded of that. Whenever a forest fairy or even an air fairy passed by our region, I had to be reminded that we weren't like them. We were inferior."

When he received no response, he continued.

"Then, that power gap was widened after _Cain_ ," He spoke his name with venom. "Attacked the human city. I did not take part in that event, nor did many other water fairies. But despite that, all of us suffered for it. A water fairy couldn't leave his or her region without being harassed. We were all lumped into the same category of misanthropic monsters. And when that girl, Janet, vanished, I knew it was only a matter of time before the other fairies used that as an excuse to target us once more."

He paused to take a deep breath, and said, "So when Brenda, Janet's friend, asked if I could help find that girl, I was hoping maybe it would show everybody that we weren't all bad. Show that maybe, a few of us could be heroes." He sighed at the last word.

For a moment, the air was filled with silence. None of the air fairies said a word, and for a brief moment, Nexus mustered the courage to actually turn to face the crowd. All he could see in the mists were the dozens of glowing eyes staring at him, but they seemed wider, as if in shock. For a second, it was if the hatred the air fairies had for him had been set aside.

Then, one voice called out, "Don't listen to him! He's a water fairy!"

Just like that, all the hatred and anger came flowing back in. The air fairies began hurling jeers and insults at the lone water fairy, unleashing all their loath they had for him and his kind. The mist swirling around them expanded in size, threatening to engulf Nexus himself.

The water fairy's eyes widened in horror as he could see the air fairies within the mist, surging towards him like a swarm, ready to overrun him.

Just as they were mere inches from him, a voice cried out, "Stop!"

The air fairies paused in their halt, and whirled around just in time to see Brenda rush out of the mists. The young girl flung herself at the crowd, a large branch in her hand, and slammed it down upon the nearest fairy's head. The force of the blow sent the air fairy crashing onto the ground, stunned.

The shocked crowd began to disperse as Brenda swung the branch like a bat, shielding Nexus from them. "Don't touch him!" She growled, striking another air fairy in the face with the branch. As she spoke, the forest fairies arrived in the region as well, with the Crystal and Barret children being at the front.

The air fairies, seeing the more powerful forest fairies arrive in the region, did not spare any expense. The mist vanished into thin air, and the air fairies retreated into different parts of the forest. Soon, there were no air fairies left in the area.

"Brenda?" Nexus whispered in shock as the young girl rushed towards him. "You came back?"

"Of course I did," She said, and tried to remove the frozen blocks restraining him.

"Let me help," Isabella said, walking forward. She blasted the ice blocks, and Nexus dropped onto the ground. Standing up quickly, the water fairy dusted himself off, and his eyes landed on Janet.

"I see you found the girl you were looking for," He said, turning to stare at the forest fairies.

"Not exactly," Sam replied.

Nexus turned to stare at him in confusion.

"Follow us," Sam told the water fairy. "There's someone I'd like for you to meet."

* * *

In a vacant section of the valley, Mirror Isabella sat next to a tree, her friends Pandora and Ophelia sitting around her. The three girls giggled mischievously to each other.

"So you pulled it off?" Mirror Isabella asked the two.

"Yeah, just as you planned it," Pandora replied confidently. "That Janet girl didn't know what hit her when we cast that sleeping spell on her."

"Getting her through the mirror without anyone seeing was a little hard," Ophelia admitted. "But we managed to do it. We left her near that alley me and my sister used to hang out at."

"Neat," Mirror Isabella said, grinning. "I knew I could count on the two of you. I can't enter the human world, but you two can. The other fairies have probably turned the water region into a wreckage looking for that girl, and they don't even know it was all us!"

"Is that so?"

The trio all froze in alarm as they recognized David's voice. Turning around slowly, they saw the boy, leaning next to a tree with his arms folded, giving the three the scariest death glare he could muster. Despite the fact that he was only a human, the three fairies couldn't help but be intimidated by the glare.

"So it was all you, huh?" David said, taking a step forward. "You whisked Janet off and fooled everyone into thinking the water fairies did it, huh? Really sneaky of you."

"D-David," Mirror Isabella stuttered, surprised to see him. "I'm, uh, surprised to see you here. How much of this conversation did you overhear, may I ask?"

"Enough," He replied, his voice steely. "We _all_ did."

The moment the words left his mouth, the forest fairies appeared from around the trees. The three forest fairies could feel their blood run cold as dozens upon dozens of forest fairies crowded around in the area.

"Um, hey everybody," Ophelia said, giggling nervously. "We, uh. . . what a surprise, eh?"

Nexus stepped forward. "So you're the little brats responsible for all the suffering us water fairies had to endure?" He growled, glaring daggers at the three.

"Mirror Isabella, why did you do it?" Janet asked.

Mirror Isabella heard footsteps racing away, and she spun around to see Pandora and Ophelia take off in the opposite direction. She turned back to Janet, her eyes filled with fear.

"Because. . . because. . ." Her eyes landed on Nexus. "Because you water fairies don't belong here!"

With that, the forest fairy got to her feet and took off running after her friends.

"Get her!" Sam shouted. "We have to stop her before she gets away!" He rushed after his elder sister, followed by Isabella, followed by the Barrets and Brenda.

Soon, the entire crowd was hot on the heels of the malicious little forest fairy.

* * *

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	25. Hero (Pt 8)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Of course it was them._

* * *

Ever since Mirror Isabella and her two friends had fled into the forest, the crowd had been out searching for her. Brenda and Nexus had grouped together with the Crystal and Barret siblings as they searched for the twisted fairy.

"We should've known it was Bella," Sam chastised both himself and his siblings. "That mean little sprite would never pass up the chance to stir up trouble and blame someone else for it. She hates Janet; of course she'd go after her."

"She's pure evil," Nexus said to the children. "How did you manage to survive with her as your guardian for all those years?"

None of the siblings had an answer to the question. All of them went silent as they continued to search through the forestry to try and find any sign of Bella and her friends. However, the forest seemed totally vacant, except for them.

"Where are they?" Janet asked. "They have to be here, somewhere."

"They're forest fairies, Janet," Sam whispered to her. "We're very good at hiding in woods."

"Well, where would _you_ hide if you were in this situation?" David asked the Crystal siblings.

The three shrugged. "We've never really had to hide from anything," Isabella explained. "Mirror Isabella would make sure we would stay away from any kind of danger."

"Crap," David said, stomping his foot on the ground. "How are we going to find them now if even you forest fairies don't know where to look."

Suddenly, Brenda's eyes lit up. "Maybe not forest fairies," She whispered, a light bulb glowing in her mind.

Turning to Nexus, Brenda asked, "You're a water fairy, right?"

"Well, duh," Nexus replied.

"You think you can form a cloud of mist out of all these water vapors in the air?" Brenda asked.

Nexus nodded. "Well, water fairies do have the most control over anything liquid," He mentioned, putting his hand up to his chin in thought. Eventually, he said, "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

With a wave of his arms, Nexus had transformed the water droplets in the air into a massive cloud of mist that engulfed everyone nearby. The cloud of mist expanded throughout the entire area of the forest, obscuring everyone's view.

In the midst of the fog, Sam turned to Brenda. "Brenda, we can't see anything," He pointed out. "How are we going to find them now?"

Brenda shushed him, putting her finger onto Sam's mouth. "Wait for it," She whispered. Sam and the others were confused, but they remained silent.

After a moment of silence, the group heard a voice similar to Ophelia scream, "The air fairies are here! Run!"

Even in the fogginess of the mist, the group could make out two obscure figures run out of hiding and through the mists in sheer panic. They knew immediately that it was Pandora and Ophelia. The two forest fairies screamed as they raced through the mists, unaware that they had been spotted.

Abandoning their hiding spot gave the group the opening they needed. Shooting out his arms, Sam fired an energy blast from the palm of his hands, striking the two siblings and sending them flying into a tree. The two crashed onto the ground, dazed from the blow.

The Crystal siblings ran up and grabbed the two forest fairies. "We got you!" Isabella snarled as she pulled Ophelia to her feet, while Sam and Mirror Samson did the same to Pandora.

As Nexus cleared the fog, David turned to Brenda. "Hey, that was a nice plan," He pointed out.

Brenda nodded. "Nexus told me about how everyone was wary of air fairies," She explained. "I figured that covering the forest in mist would cause these two to think the air fairies had come and make them freak out and make a run for it."

David chuckled, then turned to the two forest fairies.

His eyes narrowed at them. "Long time no see, you two," He said, putting his hands on his hips as he approached them. "Ophelia and Pandora. You two haven't changed a bit since the last time we met. You're still rotten to the core and do everyone Bella tells you."

Ophelia shot daggers at him, whereas Pandora trembled in fear.

"I'll ask you this nicely once; where is Mirror Isabella?" David asked the two.

"You two better start talking," Isabella threatened the two.

Ophelia turned her nose up, trying her best to look unafraid. "I'm not scared," She declared. "We won't say a-"

"She's up at the old cliff side down the river!" Pandora blurted out immediately. Ophelia's eyes widened in shock, and she turned to stare at her sister, astonished by her cowardice.

Pandora shrugged. "He was giving me the evil eyes," She whimpered.

"Come on!" Sam shouted to his siblings, releasing Pandora and Ophelia. "We have to go to the cliff side!" The group prepared to head off, but Pandora asked, "What about us?"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Sam said. He made a whistling sound, and immediately, a pack of mirror wolves slunk out of the darkness and surrounded the two frightened forest fairies.

"Guard these two!" Sam commanded to the wolves. "We're going to find my sister!"

With that, the group set off down the river, leaving the two forest fairies with the wolf pack.

* * *

Within minutes, the group had passed the river and flown to the top of the cliff. It was a rather large cliff, with a large lake below it.

"Hey, I know this place," Nexus said as the group scaled the cliff side. "Me and my friends would sometimes dive off this cliff and into that lake below."

"Uh-huh," Sam whispered, not particularly interested. As the group reached the top of the cliff, Sam rushed out to the forest behind the cliff, searching through them for any sign of Mirror Isabella.

"Bella, come out!" Sam commanded. "We know you're out here!"

All he got in response was the slight blow of the wind in his face, the leaves and trees blowing in the breeze.

Sam narrowed his eyes. "I can sense your presence here," He called out into the darkness of the forest. "Show yourself, and maybe we'll go easy on you."

Nexus walked up next to Sam. "Why did you do it, Bella?" He asked. "Why did you let us water fairies endure the punishment for your actions! The water region nearly got destroyed because of you!"

After a moment of silence, he was answered. A voice called out from the forest, "Because you're inferior. Because you're the dredge of fairy kind. Because you all deserve it."

The group recognized it as Bella. "But why?" Sam asked. "I know you don't like water fairies, but-"

"I don't like any non-forest fairies," Bella interrupted. "Us forest fairies are the most powerful fairies, you know that Sam. We've proven it time and time again. When we saved Crystal City, and even now, when you totally leveled the water regions. Those water sprites never stood a chance."

This time, Brenda spoke. "That's not the reason, is it?" She called into the emptiness of the woods. "There's something else, isn't there?"

She got no reply. Whether Bella didn't have an answer, or merely believed Brenda didn't deserve one, the human girl had no idea.

Eventually, Sam said, "I think I get it. This all started those months ago, when Cain's clan attacked the human city."

"Yes," Bella whispered, still concealed in darkness.

"But you've never cared about Crystal City," Janet pointed out. "Why now?"

"This was never about Crystal City!" Sam shouted as realization sunk in. "You're not mad that they harmed the human city. You're mad that they harmed your home!"

"Well duh!" Bella shouted out, sounding exasperated. "I'm the one who set in motion the whole attack on the human city in the first place! But I definitely did not care for their attitude prior and during that attack!"

The group went silent as Bella explained.

"Those water fairies and their ignorant laws," Bella growled, fury in her tone. "They banished all non-water fairies from entering their region, acting as if they owned the entire valley. And they almost killed you, Sam, during the attack on the human city!"

"I _chose_ to defend my home, Bella!" Sam declared. "Unlike you!"

Bella ignored him. "Well, I thought it was time they learned what it was like to have their rights impeded," She sneered. "I knew that after that whole attack the peace between the water fairies and the other fairies was fragile. When I had Ophelia and Pandora whisk Janet off, it was only a matter of time before the forest fairies used that as an excuse to attack the water regions, just like I expected them to!"

"No!" Isabella cried out in horror. She, and everyone else, realized that they had been playing into Bella's hands the whole time.

"Really, it's almost tragic," Bella whispered. "To see how alike you are with the water fairies. To let your prejudiced views cloud your judgement and-"

 _"Shut up!"_ Isabella shouted, and she hurled a large blast of energy at the direction Bella's voice was coming from. Immediately, Bella sprang out of her hiding spot and into the air. Retaliating, Mirror Isabella launched a blast of electricity at the group, causing them to scatter to avoid the blast.

Brenda raced to the sidelines as Mirror Isabella fired multiple blasts of fire and ice at her assailants. Thinking quickly, she snapped off a tree branch and rushed to Bella while she was distracted. Before the forest fairy could respond, she slammed it down on Bella's head.

The branch snapped off in Brenda's hands. Bella froze for a second, then turned towards the younger girl.

Brenda gulped as Bella grabbed her by the collar and lifted her into the air. "Looks like you want to be a hero, girl," Bella sneered at Brenda. "Well, let me show you what I do to heroes." Her index finger transformed into a claw, and she aimed it at Brenda's neck.

"No!" Nexus shouted, and he hurled a blast of energy at Bella, who dropped Brenda to avoid the blast. Whirling around, Bella shot Nexus in the chest with a volt of electricity, sending him crashing onto the ground, clutching his burning chest.

"Nexus!" Brenda cried. Rage surging within her, the human girl rushed at Bella and tackled her with such force that the two were sent flying towards the edge of the cliff.

"Brenda!" Janet cried out, and reached to grab her, but it was too late.

Bella and Brenda both let out a scream as they slipped off the side of the cliff and went plummeting off the cliff side.

* * *

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	26. Hero (Pt 9)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: I decided she was better off as a villain._

* * *

Brenda hadn't been this terrified since Bella had struck her with lightning several months ago.

She and Bella plummeted off the side of the lake, holding each other close together as they fell. It appeared the force of the collision had knocked Bella's senses out, which would explain why she wasn't flying.

She could vaguely hear the shouts of the rest of the group at the top of the cliff, but she knew that they couldn't react quick enough to save her. She would simply have to brace for the impact of the fall herself.

She and Bella landed in the lake with a large splash. The force of the landing utterly knocked out Brenda's senses; she immediately slipped out of Bella's grasp, and the two girls sank down under the lake.

Brenda slowly regained consciousness; she had been hurt by the fall, but she could still swim. Bella, on the other hand, had taken the brunt of the fall; if she hadn't been knocked out when Brenda knocked her off the cliff side, then she definitely had when she landed in the lake.

Brenda, as much as she hated to, knew she had to save Bella. First, she swam to the surface of the lake and took a large gulp of air; she knew she would drown if she didn't. Then, she swam back down into the lake after a sinking Bella.

Grabbing Bella's unconscious form, Brenda pulled the older girl into her grasp. Then, she swam up to the surface of the lake, holding Bella in one arm. As the two reached the surface of the lake, she could see the rest of the group arrive at the side of the lake.

Almost immediately after the two had burst out of the surface, they were grabbed and pulled out of the lake. Bella was tossed onto the ground whereas Brenda was pulled into a hug by Isabella.

"Oh Brenda, are you hurt?" Isabella asked, cradling Brenda in her arms.

"I'm fine," Brenda reassured, even though she knew it was a lie. "You don't have to treat me like a baby."

"Sorry," Isabella apologized, releasing Brenda. The younger girl silently noted that this was the most concern Isabella had ever showed her. She was taken out of her thoughts when she saw Nexus, who was still clutching his chest from where Bella had zapped him.

"Nexus!" She cried out, and rushed to the water fairy. "Are you alright?"

The water fairy shook his head. "I will be in a few moments, though," He reassured. Turning to the lake, he quickly dove into it. Brenda rose an eyebrow in confusion, and Sam said, "He's a water fairy, remember? Water probably heals him."

"Oh," Brenda said, somewhat embarrassed she had forgotten. Her eyes then landed on an unconscious Bella, who was lying on the grass.

"What are we going to do about her?" She asked.

"What do you think?" Sam asked her in return.

* * *

A short time later, the crowd of forest fairies had arrived in the area, along with some very angry water fairies.

"You are in so much trouble, Bella!" One of the forest fairies snapped as the young forest fairy was led through the crowd of jeering fairies. Despite the insults being hurled at her, she barely gave the crowd any attention.

"Is there anything you have to say for yourself?" Another forest fairy asked.

Bella stopped, finally acknowledging the crowd. She turned to stare at the forest fairies, her eyes containing a haughty expression.

"I showed you all," She sneered at them. "I showed you all for what you really are."

The crowd went silent, particularly the forest fairies. Bella, taking their silence as a cue to continue, did so.

"You all like to pretend like you're all above it all," She said to the crowd. "That you're not prejudiced, and you're fair and gracious. But today, you showed how wrong that mindset was, didn't you. You just couldn't wait to scapegoat an entire group of fairies and blame them for something you had no evidence they had committed, and put them through intense suffering. All the while you didn't even consider I was the culprit."

The crowd said nothing. As much as they loathed Bella, they couldn't find a single fallacy in her words.

"You can pretend it was because you were concerned for Janet, but I know the truth," Bella told the crowd. "It's because deep down, you're just as bigoted and xenophobic as anyone else. And I proved that to you all, today. Let's see how you can make up for the damage you caused now." With that, she turned and walked off, swatting away the fairies holding her. There was a smug look on her face, even as she walked off to face her own punishment.

The forest fairies watched Bella leave, a feeling of intense guilt weighing down on them. They knew that Bella was right. Even if she was the catalyst of the whole event, it was their own foolish actions that had led to the whole event exploding as it had.

"Bella is right," David muttered, as much as he hated to say those words. "How are we ever going to make it up to the water fairies?" He and his siblings hung their heads low in shame.

Brenda, meanwhile, walked up to Nexus. The water fairy's wounds had mostly healed.

"So, Nexus?" She said to the water fairy. "What did you mean, back in the misty regions? That you hated yourself? Why?"

Nexus turned to Brenda, and sighed. "When was I about your age," He explained to her. "I always looked up to the air fairies. I was fascinated by them; I wanted to be like them. So one day, against my mother's wishes, I went into the misty regions, just to get to talk to them, to know them." His face hardened.

"Then what happened?" Brenda asked him.

Nexus turned to Brenda, and pointed to a long scar on the back of his neck. Brenda gasped in horror.

"They said it was punishment," He explained to Brenda. "Because they didn't want a water fairy to contaminate their regions."

Brenda looked up at Nexus in horror. "I'm so sorry," She said, resting a comforting hand on Nexus' shoulder. "Nobody should have to go through that."

Nexus shook out of her grasp. "That was years ago," He said. "I've... gotten over it." The look on his face, though, said a different story.

"I have to go," He told Brenda. "My sisters are probably wondering where I am. I got to go tell them that the real culprit has been caught and they're safe to return to their home." With that, he turned and walked off towards the water regions.

Brenda watched him leave, a look of sympathy in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," She whispered again. Whether he heard her or not, she didn't know.

* * *

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	27. Hero (Pt 10)

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Um...the air fairies did that, not his mom._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: Meh._

 _I am a burglar: Good._

* * *

When the forest fairies returned to their region, the Crystal siblings and Brenda gathered them together for another meeting.

"So, what are we going to do about Bella and her friends?" Sam asked once most of the fairies had arrived for the meeting. "I mean, she can't go back to the hospital; it's in the water regions."

"We'll just send her into temporary exile," One of the forest fairies suggested. "That should give her plenty of time to think about her actions. Her friends should probably receive a lighter punishment, though; they were just following Bella's orders."

"Yeah, Ophelia and Pandora are just idiots," Isabella agreed. "Brainless bimbos who are easily manipulated."

"Speaking of which, they weren't the only ones who were easily manipulated today, now were they?" Janet said, turning to the forest fairies, a disappointed look in her eyes. The fairies immediately turned away under her glare.

"How could you all?" Brenda asked, stepping forward. "You should've known Bella was behind all of this. Instead, you destroyed the home of an innocent group of people, er, fairies. You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

"We are!" Several of the forest fairies moaned in remorse.

"I mean, how are we any better than Cain and Bella now?" David asked, a bitter look in his eyes as he paced around, deep in thought. Letting out a sigh, he said, "She was right, all along. We weren't above it all."

Brenda stared at David, lost in her thoughts as well. She thought about Nexus, and her eyes lit up when she remembered something. While searching for Bella's friends, Nexus had used his abilities to create a mist out of water vapors. That was an ability specific to water fairies.

So surely, the forest fairies must have had the ability to fix what they had done.

"Everybody!" She shouted, calling everyone's attention to her. "Listen to me! Davis is wrong!"

David's eyes widened. "What?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"No, not like that!" Brenda reassured him. "We are better than Cain and Bella, and we can prove it right now! Follow me! I'll explain on the way!"

With that, she turned and headed in the direction of the water regions. The forest fairies were miffed, but they followed her nonetheless.

"I wonder what she's up to," Isabella whispered to herself.

* * *

The water fairies wondered around the ruins of the water regions. Even though the forest fairies had called off their search for Janet after she had been found, the water regions had been left in an utter state of disrepair. The forestry had been demolished, ruining the geography of the area.

Nexus stared at his ruined home, lamenting the seeming loss of opportunity for a peaceful resolution between the two fairy kinds. There was no way the water fairies would forgive the forest fairies now after what they had done.

One of Nexus' younger sisters tugged on his sleeve. "Nexus, what do we do now?" She asked. She was a teenager, only a couple years older Isabella.

Nexus looked down at his sister, and opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. The water fairies could not repair forestry; only forest fairies could do that, and he severely doubted they cared enough to repair the damage they had done.

He was pulled from his thoughts when panicked gasps erupted from the nearby water fairies. Turning around to see what all the commotion was about, his eyes widened when he saw the forest fairies arrive from out of the woods. They poured into the ruined water regions, Brenda at the head.

"Brenda?!" Nexus shouted in disbelief.

The water fairies were already scattering, terrified of the prospect of having to endure another attack from the forest fairies. In the main lake, Cain emerged from the surface of the water, members of his clan behind them, and they rushed out to face the swarm of forest fairies.

"What do you want?" Cain bellowed as the forest fairies slowed to a stop. "Haven't you caused enough trouble already? If you think you can cause even more harm, well you'll find we're not going to stand by and take it again!"

Brenda rushed out between the two groups of fairies. "Wait, slow down!" She said, shielding the forest fairies. "We're not here to fight!"

Hearing this, some of the water fairies emerged from hiding, somewhat misled. Brenda noticed Nexus staring at her, and she gave him a small wink. Nexus blinked in confusion.

Brenda turned to the forest fairies and nodded to them. "Come on guys, do you're thing," She whispered to them.

First, the Crystal siblings stepped forward. With a few motions of their arms, the siblings had caused several fallen trees to be restored to their former place. Behind them, the other forest fairies followed suite, quickly restoring the water regions to its former state. Trees to upturned, bushes and other plants sprouted from the ground, the fallen trees were repaired.

The water fairies watched in awe as within moments, the water regions were repaired all around them. "How are they doing that?" Nexus asked.

"They're forest fairies," Brenda reminded him. "They have control over the forests. Consider this our apology to you."

Hearing this, Nexus broke out into a relieved smile. Looking up at the skies, his eyes glistened in the sun.

Within moments, the water regions had been totally repaired, almost as if it had never been demolished in the first place. The water fairies emerged from their hiding spots to observe their fixed homes. Seeing what the forest fairies had done, the water fairies broke out into relieved cheering.

"Oh thank you!" Several water sprites thanked the forest fairies. Some of them rushed up and hugged the forest fairies.

"We just wanted to say we were sorry," Sam said to the water fairies. "We shouldn't have judged all of you so harshly." His siblings nodded in agreement.

Brenda watched as the two fairy kinds reconciled, a proud smile on her face. She felt Nexus tap her on the shoulder.

"Hey Nexus," She said.

"Did you tell them to do this?" He asked her.

Brenda nodded in response. She was then taken off guard when Nexus enveloped her in a huge hug, lifting her into the air.

"Thank you, Brenda Collins," He told her. "You're my hero."

Brenda froze for a moment, in shock. Then, she smiled and hugged him back.

"Thank you," She whispered.

* * *

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	28. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 1)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Maybe._

 _I am a burglar: Sure thing, bro._

* * *

 **Held in Iron Hands  
**

* * *

"Mirror Isabella Crystal, you are hereby banished from the valley for a year."

Hearing this made Mirror Isabella's heart drop.

Of all the punishments she had expected to receive after engineering the ruination of the water realm, she had not even considered this form of torment. Incarceration, or returning to the hospital, those were things she had expected, things she could handle.

But not this.

"What?!" The wretched fairy sputtered in disbelief. She was faced with all the forest fairies in the valley, many of whom had been manipulated by her to attack the water fairies for her own crimes. They all glowered at her, looks of contempt in their eyes. The hateful glares all directed at Mirror Isabella made her feel small and helpless, but in spite of this, she voiced her protest.

"That isn't fair!" She shouted at the forest fairies, fury in her voice.

"Neither was making the water fairies suffer for your actions, Mirror Isabella!" Mirror Sam shouted from within the crowd.

"You went too far this time!" Isabella voiced her agreement, shooting an icy glare at her reflection. The other fairies shouted out in approval, somewhat pleased to see Mirror Isabella called out by her own family.

Mirror Isabella gritted her teeth as she stared at her siblings. Her blue face darkened in anger, but she couldn't find the words to retort. Eventually, she stomped her foot and looked the other way, seething to herself.

"You will leave the valley immediately!" The fairy judge decreed. "Now leave our presence now, lest you continue to defile us with your very presence."

Mirror Isabella whipped her head towards the judge. "Where will I go?" She asked.

"Anywhere but the valley," The judge replied, waving the young forest fairy off with his hand. "It is of no concern to us."

"But I hardly leave the valley," Mirror Isabella complained. "I don't know what's out there."

"Well you should have thought about that before you committed your vile acts yesterday!" The judge shouted, looming over Mirror Isabella. "When the water fairies kicked you out of their realm, we were forced to accept you back. You could've used that time to make up for your previous actions. Instead you proved you were no better then when you nearly destroyed Crystal City!"

"She's always been a troublemaker," One fairy called out from within the crowd. "She's not like most forest fairies. She's cruel and wicked and vile."

Mirror Isabella whipped her head over in the direction of the voice, her eyes glowing with fury. "Take that back, whoever you are!" She pointed her finger at the crowd, the tip of it glowing with blue energy. Immediately, the crowd began to ripple in a sudden panic.

A blast of energy was fired at Mirror Isabella, zapping her chest. It was a warning shot from the judge; the force of the blast caused Mirror Isabella to stumble for a bit before becoming still. The blast wasn't meant to deal damage, but it did cause Mirror Isabella to halt her hostility.

"Enough!" The judge shouted out. Pointing a finger at Mirror Isabella, he shouted, "Let us waste no more time! Mirror Isabella, leave our presence! Now!"

Mirror Isabella glared at the judge, wanting so badly to hurt him. But she knew that would only make her punishment much more severe.

So, reluctantly, she pursed her lip and obliged.

* * *

A half hour later, Mirror Isabella stood at the end of the valley, flanked by two muscular forest fairies. The only ones present currently besides her and the guards were her own family.

David and Isabella stood there, staring at Mirror Isabella crossly and with bitter success. Near them, Sam and Janet stood with looks of uncertainty in their eyes. They knew that Mirror Isabella was bad, but did she really deserve to be kicked out of the only home she had ever known, and left all on her own?

The guards removed Mirror Isabella's restraints. The moment she had them off, the young fairy threw her guards off of her before rubbing her sore wrists. Turning back to her family, Mirror Isabella said, "Goodbye. I'll see you all in a year."

Whereas David and Isabella nodded, Sam shrugged his shoulders, rubbing his arm awkwardly and avoiding his sister's gaze. Eventually, he said, "You know Bella, I could talk with the other fairies. Maybe, they could reduce your punishment-"

"Sam, come on!" Isabella chastised. "She got what she deserved!" Turning to Mirror Isabella, she said, "Get out of here, now! You're not making your sentence any quicker by staying any longer!"

Mirror Isabella glared at her sister, then cast a brief look at Sam. For a moment, Sam saw a look of sadness in his elder sister's eyes.

Mirror Isabella averted her eyes away from Sam and turned around. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Farewell, Sam."

With that, she took off into the air and flew out of sight of the valley.

* * *

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	29. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 2)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: For a year._

 _I am a burglar:...She doesn't have wings._

* * *

Mirror Isabella soared over the valley, silently seething in rage at the judge's actions.

How dare the other fairies exile her from her home? And solely to compensate for causing the water fairies so much hardship. She scoffed to herself; the forest fairies didn't even like the water fairies; why should they care what happens to them?

As she looked down at the valley she was leaving, she felt a pang of fear as a wave of questions flooded her mind. What awaited her outside the only home she'd ever known? Danger? What were the other fairies like? How many forest fairies lived outside the valley?

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard voices from below. Staring down, she could see multiple fairies in the valley all looking up at her.

"Look!" One fairy called out, pointing a finger at her. "It's that freak Mirror Isabella!"

"They finally got rid of her, huh?" Another fairy asked.

"About time," A third chimed in.

Mirror Isabella gritted her teeth, infuriated at the insults. Unexpectedly, several of the fairies started firing energy blasts at her out of spite. The young fairy suddenly found herself zipping through the air to avoid getting blasted out of the sky.

Mirror Isabella's face darkened, and she accelerated the speed of which she was flying. Suddenly, she actually wanted to get out of the valley; she knew now that her reputation, which had already been in shambles due to prior events, had now been utterly destroyed.

Perhaps she could build a new one outside the valley.

* * *

"Finally, she's gone!" David exclaimed to his siblings once they returned to their house in the human world. "About time we got rid of her. Screw that hospital; banishment is what we should have done to her when she first tried to destroy Crystal City!"

"Couldn't agree more!" Isabella declared, and she and David high-fived each other.

Sam watched the two, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. "I don't know, you guys," He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, she was our sister and all. . ."

"Oh, come on, Sam," David said, turning to him with an exasperated look in his eyes. "I know you like Bella and all, but you got to face facts: she was a jerk."

"And evil," Janet added.

"Yeah, that too," David replied, folding his arms.

Sam frowned, hanging his head low. Janet, feeling empathy for her brother, rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Sam, it's only for a year," She consoled him. "Think about it. When we're David's age, she'll be allowed to come back-"

"-And continue ruining our lives," David both interrupted and finished Janet at the same time. Janet turned to face her brother, a flat look on her face.

"Not helping," She said bluntly.

"Hey, I try," David said, giving a half-hearted shrug.

Sam sighed. "I don't know," He said, rubbing his arm. "I mean, she's out there all alone. She's probably so scared and angry. Who knows what's happening to her?"

* * *

Mirror Isabella landed in front of a massive, dark forest, staring at it in mild satisfaction. This was a different forest, lying on the very outskirts of the valley she called home. The two were so close together that Mirror Isabella could actually see her home valley from a distance away.

Turning back in the direction she'd came from, Mirror Isabella shrugged to herself.

"They told me to leave the valley," She mumbled to herself. "But they didn't say how far."

At that moment, she formed a plan to herself. She would stay in this particular forest for a year until her exile had been abolished. It was close to the valley; at the very least, she could see what the other fairies were up to from there. And since they were so close anyways, perhaps this forest could still feel like home. It looked nearly identical to the valley, anyways.

Mirror Isabella grinned to herself. She'd make friends in this forest, and gain their trust. Then, she could send them to the valley to see what the other fairies were doing, so she wasn't completely unaware of their affairs. So when she returned, she wouldn't be caught so off-guard by how things had changed.

Mirror Isabella then frowned to herself as a new, depressing thought entered her mind: how much _would_ things change when she returned. A year was a rather long time; heck, less than three years ago, she'd made a dent in the valley's history by nearly killing Amanda, the one human girl who'd been aware of the Mirror Dimension and its whereabouts. It had been so relatively recent, but it had permanently ingrained itself in the valley's history, even with the revelation that Amanda had never died.

So, when a year passed, how much would everyone have changed, with her not being there to do anything about it. Would she even recognize her siblings once she returned?

Mirror Isabella shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was being paranoid; her siblings were still her siblings, and they'd always be. She needn't concern herself with these matters; all that mattered now was making a new home in her unfamiliar surroundings.

Taking a deep breath, Mirror Isabella whispered, "This is it."

Then, after a moment's hesitation, she walked into the forest, and into an unknown future.

* * *

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	30. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 3)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Great._

 _I am a burglar:...Because fairies can fly without wings._

* * *

Mirror Isabella strode through the new forest, observing its details with intrigue. It wasn't quite as big as the valley she came from, nor as spacey, but it would make for a decent home, at least until her exile was over.

Mirror Isabella humphed. The forest, in addition to being smaller than the valley, was also nowhere near as magnificent. The forests were bland and looked almost like a human forest; there were no no sparkling lakes or lush trees to be had. It was a bland scenery.

"How does this forest have any residents?" She pondered aloud. Surely the fairies living here would much rather prefer to live in the valley.

"Speaking of which, where are the other fairies?" She asked. Floating off the ground, she flew above the trees and scanned the area, in search of other fairies to interact with. It didn't take long until her eyes landed on a small crowd of fairies, gathered around in a small field in another section of the forest.

Mirror Isabella grinned. "Perfect!" She exclaimed to herself. Now that she had found a crowd, all she had to do was ingratiate herself with them, and once she did, she could start her exile off on a comfortable note.

Soaring closer to the crowd, she noticed that the fairies were watching another forest fairy perform a magical feat. It was a rather odd display, the fairy creating a swirling vortex of blue energy as a show for the other fairies. Mirror Isabella rolled her eyes; no fairies in the valley did that.

But that was besides the point. Right now, her objective was to introduce herself to these unfamiliar fairies.

"Excuse me!" She called out, zipping out of the air and towards the crowd, interrupting the performer.

"Hey!" The performing fairy shouted, but Mirror Isabella ignored him.

Floating down in front of the crowd, Mirror Isabella called out to the fairies before her, "Hello, fairies of this nameless forest! My name is Mirror Isabella Crystal! I am a forest fairy, as you can see, the most powerful species of fairy in the world! And I am pleased to let you know that for an entire year, I shall grace you with my presence!"

An awkward silence swept through the crowd. The fairies all stared at Mirror Isabella with a unanimous look of bafflement. Mirror Isabella, oblivious to their confusion, simply floated off the ground, waiting for the fairies to praise her.

Then, one fairy said, "Hey, aren't you that girl that tried to destroy the human city nearly a year ago?"

Mirror Isabella's eyes widened, but before she could respond, another fairy mentioned, "And caused the riots in the water regions only a day ago?"

The fairies began to murmur in agreement. As they did, Mirror Isabella's pride began to degenerate and was replaced with a feeling of fear.

"So they brought that freak here?!" One of the fairies angrily asked. "No way!"

The fairies turned to Mirror Isabella, their eyes aglow with anger. Mirror Isabella was suddenly reminded of when she had been on trial, and the glares the valley fairies had given her. Only these glares were much, much more hateful.

"Leave our presence!" The fairies shouted at Mirror Isabella, some of them hurling magical blasts of energy at the young forest fairy. Mirror Isabella let out a gasp of shock, and dodged to avoid the blasts. Nearly tripping on her own feet, she rushed through the forest to avoid the crowd.

When she was a good distance away, Mirror Isabella turned to face the crowd, and put on an angry face. "Your loss!" She shouted out defiantly at them. "Don't even think of enjoying my gracious presence now!"

With that, she then bolted into the woods and vanished.

* * *

Mirror Isabella had hoped that her first experience in the forest wouldn't repeat. Unfortunately for her, it did.

It appeared that her reputation as an evil fairy had spread quickly across the land; thus, none of the fairies she encountered wanted anything to do with her. Wherever she showed up, she was quickly driven off by the other fairies before she'd hardly had a chance to introduce herself.

This went on for hours before Mirror Isabella finally retreated to a desolate area of the forest in defeat. Utterly exhausted after such a long, dreadful day, she slumped down next to one of the tree, where she rested.

Breathing heavily, Mirror Isabella let out a long sigh. "So this is what it feels like to be an outcast," She mumbled to herself. Letting her eyes wander, she noticed a wolf cub walking through the woods.

Mirror Isabella smiled. Wolves were usually good company for her.

Getting up and approaching the cub, Mirror Isabella said, "Why hello there, little cub. My name is-"

She was cut off when an adult wolf suddenly pounced out of the woods and in between her and the cub, snarling at Mirror Isabella fiercely. The young fairy, startled at the wolf's hostility, stumbled backwards.

The wolf, still baring its teeth at her, urged the cub away from Mirror Isabella. It turned to give one last snarl at the fairy, the wolf left as well.

Mirror Isabella stood still, still shocked, before her disbelief turned to frustration. "Even the animals hate me!" She shouted, her blue skin turning red with fury. She let out an aggravated shout, stamping her feet on the ground in a fit.

She was interrupted from her tantrum when a voice called out, "Having a bad day, huh?"

Mirror Isabella turned around to see another forest fairy, around her age, standing by the tree next to her. She had black hair with a rose in it, and was wearing a blue dress.

Mirror Isabella narrowed her eyes at her, unwilling to engage in a conversation with someone else after so many people had rebuked her earlier. "Who are you?" She asked, suspicious.

"Lily," The other girl replied. "What's your name?"

"Don't wanna answer!" Mirror Isabella snapped.

"Is it Mirror Isa-"

"Don't you dare answer me!" Mirror Isabella interrupted in a fit of paranoia. Sweat began dripping profusely from her forehead.

"You enjoy your tantrum?" Lily asked her.

Mirror Isabella growled, and turned away from her. "Not as much as I enjoy being alone!" She snapped at Lily. "Which is what I'm going to be in a few moments. Now, if you'll excuse me. . ." With that, she turned and stormed deeper into the woods.

"Um, I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Lily said, her voice sounding somewhat disturbed.

"Are there any fairies in there?" Mirror Isabella asked.

"No," Lily replied.

"Works for me!" Mirror Isabella shouted out, and she considered walking into the woods.

"Yeah, but there's a reason for that!" Lily called out after her. "There's a-"

"Not listening!" Mirror Isabella interrupted, seconds before she vanished into the woods, leaving Lily alone.

The moment Mirror Isabella was gone, Lily sighed. "I tried to warn her," She said, shaking her head. With that, she turned and walked back to her home.

* * *

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	31. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 4)

_I am a burglar: Great._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: No, she's telling the truth there. Forest fairies are the most powerful species of fairy._

* * *

As Sam soared just overhead the valley, the only thing on his mind was his sister.

Mirror Isabella had not left his mind ever since her exile. Truth be told, in spite of all his elder sister had done, the young fairy just hadn't felt right about allowing her to be banished from her home. Granted, the logical part of his mind told him that she deserved a much harsher punishment, but his heart told him he should be concerned.

Noticing the adult forest fairies lounging in the trees, Sam flew down towards them, landing softly on a long tree branch.

"Um, hello," Sam said to the other fairies.

"Yes Sam?" One of the fairies asked.

"So, about banishing Bella," Sam said to the fairies. "Do you guys have any idea where she went?"

The fairies shook their heads. "As soon as she left the valley, she's not our problem anymore," The fairy explained to Sam. "She could be in the arctic, the savanna, on the moon, even in the forest right next to the valley. All we know is that she's coming back in a year."

Sam's face fell. "So there's literally no way to track her?" He asked.

"Unless you saw which direction she was flying, then yes," The fairy said to Sam.

Whatever shimmer of hope in Sam's heart died with that statement. With a heavy sigh, Sam muttered, "Alright, thanks for that talk." With that, he floated off of the tree and landed on the ground below. His body felt frail and weak.

His head lowered, the young fairy stalked off deeper into the woods, his vision clouded and his mind plagued.

* * *

She didn't say it, but Mirror Isabella knew that she had entered dark territory.

The deeper she walked into the forest, the more grim it become. The trees became bent and twisted, the skies became dark and clouded, and the air was bleak and murky. It sent shivers down Mirror Isabella's spine as she walked.

But, in spite of her better judgement, she continued to walk deeper into the woods, ignoring the voice in the back of her mind telling her to go back.

But really, what was there to go back to? A community that despised her and practically saw her as a bogeyman? At least in this forest, she was alone, with no creature to torment her.

Or so she thought.

Mirror Isabella froze when she thought she heard the wind cackle and the leaves bristle. She immediately whipped her head back and forth, feeling as if something was there. However, she saw nobody else.

Even though, visually she was alone, Mirror Isabella could feel another presence in the forest. One older and more dismal than her.

Now, that voice in the back of her head was speaking to her again, and this time, she was starting to listen to her. Below her, her legs began to move in the opposite direction, and the young fairy quickly began walking at a fast pace back in the direction she came from.

Alas, she did not get far.

Even before she turned her head, Mirror Isabella saw a massive shadow of a creature far larger than she descend from the treetops down towards her. By the time she twisted her head around to see what it was, the creature was already atop her.

The force of the creature slammed Mirror Isabella onto the ground with a thud. Fear flooding her brain, the young fairy began screaming and struggled to free herself from the creature's grasp. However, the monster was surprisingly strong, even stronger than a fairy.

As Mirror Isabella looked up at the creature, she saw twisted features, bony limbs, and jagged teeth on top of her. The creature, whatever it was, hissed at her, grabbing her by the neck and strangling her.

As Mirror Isabella gagged and tried to pry the creature's iron-like hands from her throat, another hand whipped out and struck her across the face. The blow utterly knocked her senses out.

To her horror, the young fairy felt herself slip into unconsciousness as a result of the blow and her breathing being constricted. As she fought to keep her eyes open, she saw the creature's face twist into a sickening grin.

It's cackling was the last thing she heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

As Sam continued walking through the forest in the valley, lost in his thoughts, he accidentally bumped into another fairy. He recognized her instantly.

"Oh, sorry Kizzy," He said to her, rubbing his head awkwardly.

Kizzy stared at Sam, her arms folded. "I heard you talking with the other fairies," The slightly older forest fairy said. "About Mirror Isabella."

"Oh, really?" Sam said, his voice rather emotionless. "I did not know that."

"Okay, look," Kizzy said to Sam, lightly jabbing him in the shoulder. "You shouldn't be getting yourself worked up over Bella. Your sister was a jerk who acted out one too many times, and she paid for it."

"Yeah, I know," Sam said, his eyes wandering to the side. "It's just. . . she was my sister."

"Sam, she was banished for a year," Kizzy said to him. "Not for eternity, not a millennia, not even a decade. A year. That year is going to pass by so quickly, and Bella is going to return so quickly, that you'll forget she was ever banished in the first place. And when that happens, you'll wish she was still banished. Got it?"

"Uh-huh," Sam said, nodding his head slowly. "Just. . . you think she's in danger?"

Kizzy groaned. "Sam, she's a reflection," She reminded him. "Reflections can't die in the mirror realm. You know that."

"Yeah," Sam said. Despite that, he still couldn't help but feel concerned.

Kizzy sighed. "Look, Sam, I'll take you to the lake," She suggested. "Cool off with Brooklyn, you know. That ought to get your mind off of your sister."

"I guess," Sam said, shrugging his shoulders. Kizzy took him by the hand and began leading him to the water regions so the two could find Brooklyn. Even as they walked, Sam still couldn't shake the feeling that Bella was in danger.

Little did he know, he had no idea how right he was.

* * *

 _Read and review.  
_


	32. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 5)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Meh._

 _I am a burglar: Why?_

* * *

When Mirror Isabella awoke from her slumber, she was struck with a nauseating stench. The smell was intoxicating, making the fairy lightheaded.

Her eyes fluttered open, and Mirror Isabella found that her vision was clouded. She blinked a few times to regain her vision. Once she did, she found that she was no longer in the forest. Instead, she was in a deep, dark cave.

The fairy's eyes widened in shock and horror. She remembered the creature that had attacked her moments before she had passed out, and a horrifying realization crept into her mind. She knew now that she was imprisoned within the creature's lair.

Which meant that she was with the creature.

The fairy's fears were confirmed within seconds, as she heard a low growling coming from behind her. Mirror Isabella began shuddering, staring directly ahead of her and not turning around, for she was too scared to face the monster behind her.

" _Reflection. Face me."  
_

Mirror Isabella's eyes widened even further as she heard the creature speak. She realized within an instant that the monster, whatever it was, was sentient and could speak. In that case, could it be reasoned with?

Slowly, Mirror Isabella mustered her courage and turned around to face the creature. When she did, she nearly retched at the sight.

Standing before Mirror Isabella was a wiry, yet massive crone. The creature looked like a hag one would see in a fairy book, but in person, the sight was absolutely terrifying. The creature had wrinkly, gray skin, with numerous warts and scars adorning them. It had a hunched back, its spine protruding out of its skin. The creature also had long, stiff arms that led to hooked, iron-like claws that looked like they could cut through a tree.

But the most horrifying sight was its face. The creature had sunken in, soulless eyes that bore into Mirror Isabella's soul. It had a long, hooked nose, with a large wart on it. Below its nose were a row of rotted, jagged, yellow fangs. And it had a long chin as sharp as a sword.

Currently, the creature was being suspended by numerous vines and branches that decorated the wall. It hung from them, its limbs entangled in the vines, staring down at Mirror Isabella with its soulless eyes.

Mirror Isabella knew instantly that this was not a fairy. This. . . _thing_ originated in the human realm, and had somehow found its way here. There was no way that this creature was a product of the fairy dimension.

Staring in awe at the creature, Mirror Isabella whispered, "What are you?"

The creature wheezed and growled deep in its throat. The creature was clearly ancient, and it showed. After a few moments, the creature whispered, "It matters not who I am. What matters now is that _you_ belong to _me_."

Despite her fear, Mirror Isabella couldn't help but be offended at what the creature had said. "I belong to you?" She asked, her anger apparent as it overtook her fear.

Standing up, Mirror Isabella snarled, "I belong to nobody. I am Mirror Isabella Crystal, you witch! And you'll rue the day you brought me here!"

Her rage reaching violent heights, Mirror Isabella summoned a massive, deadly ball of energy. Her eyes ablaze, she hurled it at the hag, intending to obliterate the creature from existence.

The hag was motionless as the energy ball was flung towards her. As it neared her, the hag closed her eyes and raised her arm every so slightly. She then opened the palm of her hand and faced it towards the energy ball.

Mirror Isabella couldn't believe it. The energy ball stopped mere seconds from making contact with the hag. It simply hovered in midair, in front of the witch's hand.

The witch opened her eyes, and clenched her fist. Immediately, the energy ball disintegrated into pixels.

Mirror Isabella gaped at the witch, shocked that her attack had been so easily countered. Unwilling to give up, however, Mirror Isabella immediately summoned another energy ball, one more powerful than the first, and launched it at the witch, confident this one would not be stopped.

To Mirror Isabella's dread, the result was the same.

Defiant, Mirror Isabella would not admit defeat. She launched more attacks at the witch, her fury increasing as the creature shrugged them off. Fire, ice, lightning. . . none of them worked. They all ended in abysmal failure.

After a few minutes of attacking, Mirror Isabella began to wear herself out. She found it hard to even summon a small ball of energy. The witch, on the other hand, was totally unharmed.

Summoning the last of her energy, Mirror Isabella growled and hurled a final energy ball at the witch. The witch caught it in midair, then propelled it backwards. The fairy let out a surprised shout as the energy ball crashed into her, sending her flying backwards. She slammed into the wall, cracking her head against it, and crashed onto the ground in a heap.

For a moment, Mirror Isabella merely lay there, coughing and wheezing. She clutched her stomach where she had been struck, still feeling the energy surging through her. It was at that moment that she knew that she could not fight any longer. Her only chance was escape.

Struggling to get to her feet, Mirror Isabella began limping away. Mustering her energy, she took flight and hovered slightly off the ground, floating down the hallways. Hopefully, she could find the exit of the cave and escape. Once she did that, she would go right back to the valley, banishment or not.

Alas, she did not get far.

"Where do you think you're going?" The witch croaked out. Raising her arm, she clenched her fist tightly. Immediately, the vines flew out of the walls and latched onto Mirror Isabella, dragging the fairy to the ground. She fought and struggled, but it was no use. She was dragged, kicking and screaming, right back to the crone.

"Release me!" Mirror Isabella demanded as she was dragged towards the witch.

Once she was within arms length, the witch slashed Mirror Isabella across the face. The force of the blow caused Mirror Isabella's face to whip to the side. Five long, deep claws were engraved in her cheek.

Mirror Isabella breathed heavily, reeling from the blow.

"You shan't give orders, child," The witch hissed at her. "That was a warning."

Mirror Isabella turned to glare at the witch, gritting her teeth. Her eyes glowed with hatred.

The witch grimaced. "So, you still have some spirit left within you?" She asked the fairy. "Very well, then. I will just have to break that spirit."

Mirror Isabella's anger was replaced with fear, and her eyes widened as the witch leaned in close, her lips peeling back to show Mirror Isabella her fangs. Her jaws opened, and she spoke, her rotting breath sending chills down Mirror Isabella's spine.

"From now on, you are mine."

* * *

 _Read and review.  
_


	33. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 6)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Um..._

 _I am a burglar: *slow claps*_

* * *

Mirror Isabella blanked out for some time.

When she awoke, she was locked in a small cell. Getting up, she tried to smash the cell open, but it held. She then tried to summon several energy blasts to obliterate the cell doors, but they remained. She was trapped.

"Ah, so my prisoner is awake," A throaty voice whispered, and Mirror Isabella shuddered as she saw the hag scaling the walls. She landed on the ground and dragged herself towards the cage Mirror Isabella was imprisoned in.

"What do you want?" Mirror Isabella asked, turning away from the hag and folding her arms in an attempt to look dignified.

"What is your name?" The hag croaked out.

Mirror Isabella shrugged. "Mirror Isabella Crystal," She muttered. "Bella for short. What's your name?"

A nasty smirk appeared on the hag's face. She began hobbling about, not saying a word, much to Bella's irritation.

"Not talking, huh?" She said, grimacing. "Well, if the festivities are over, I'd appreciate it if you opened my cell."

The hag shook her head. "No can do," She whispered. "You see, my young fairy, you trespassed in my territory. And that must be punished severely."

"But aren't you trespassing?" Bella replied nonchalantly. "You're not from this world, are you? In that case, you're trespassing on fairy grounds. _My_ grounds."

The hag turned to glare at Bella. Then, she continued hobbling and said, "Since you're going to be staying here for the time being, I hope you can make yourself useful."

"Useful?" Mirror Isabella asked.

"Yes," The hag said. "After all, reflections don't taste very good."

Mirror Isabella's eyes widened. This creature _eats_ fairies?

"These caves are rather dirty and stringy," The hag pointed out. "Perhaps you could do some cleaning around here."

Mirror Isabella blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "No way!" She snapped. "I'm a forest fairy, not your maid! If you want a maid, why don't you go back to the human realm!"

The witch's eyes darkened, and she waved her hand. Instantly, Bella felt a burning feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she collapsed on the ground, howling in agony. A grin appeared on the witch's lips as she played the fairy like a puppet, bending and twisting her with no effort.

"Please, s-stop," Bella begged after about a minute of intense agony. Immediately, the witch ceased her attack.

"I hope you learned your lesson," She sneered. Mirror Isabella turned to glare at her, her eyes burning with fury.

"If you won't help, then I guess I'll just leave you there for a couple days," The hag said with a small shrug. "After all, reflections don't die. In that case, you won't need to eat."

With that, the witch began to hobble away.

"I will get out of here!" Mirror Isabella shouted out hoarsely despite the pain. "I will find you! I will _kill_ you!" But alas, the witch was gone.

Once the hag was out of sight, Mirror Isabella slumped onto the ground, groaning in irritation.

"Oh, how I wish I was back in the valley," She muttered, curling up into a ball and crying herself to sleep.

* * *

 _Yeah, short chapter, I know. But anyways, read and review.  
_


	34. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 7)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Yes, that was sarcasm._

 _I am a burglar: Oh?_

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Yes._

* * *

Mirror Isabella wasn't sure how much time she spent in that cell; only that it was several days.

The days were dreadfully boring. Every day, whenever she woke up, she would hope that her recent experiences had all been a dream, and she was back home in the valley. But each time, she would be disappointed to learn that this was not, in fact, a dream. It was very real.

The first three or so days, she tried to find a way out of the cell whenever the witch wasn't around. She'd use every spell she could come up with to force herself out of her cage and make her way to freedom.

Alas, nothing worked. The witch's magic was too strong.

After a few days, Bella simply gave up. She spent her waking moments sitting in the cell silently, a glum look on her face. She said and did nothing, passing the time by casting a couple tiny spells for entertainment.

"Is this my fate?" She wondered aloud to herself one day. "To spend the rest of my life rotting away in this cage?"

She was reminded of the fairy she had met in the forest. Lily was her name. She remembered how the girl had tried to warn her not to enter the woods, and how she had not listened to her.

Right now, she wished she had.

A feeling of dread filled the young fairy when a familiar figure crept into sight, and Mirror Isabella's eyes darkened as the witch made herself known. In the last few days, she'd grown accustomed to seeing the witch pass by. Occasionally, she'd be carrying a dead animal, which she would then eat.

At the moment, she had no animals with her. But she was standing in the room longer than normal, staring at Bella. Her stare unnerved her; what did the witch want?

"I take it you'd like to come out now?" The witch asked.

The first time the witch had made that offer to Bella, she had refused. But now, after having spent so long in that cell alone, it was like a dream come true for Mirror Isabella.

"Yes!" She cried out, springing to her feet.

The witch waved her hand casually, and immediately, the door was opened. Mirror Isabella was shaking with joy at the door being opened at last, and for a moment, it crossed her mind to use this as an opportunity to kill the witch quickly and escape.

"Don't get any funny ideas," The witch sneered, as if she was reading Bella's mind. "You are not allowed to leave this cave."

Mirror Isabella's smile was replaced by a frown, but she did nothing. She knew she was no match for the witch.

"I want you to do something, Bella," The watch whispered to her. The young fairy folded her arms, waiting for the witch's demand.

"There are some. . . rats in these caves," The witch said, after a moment's pause. "Rascally things. Always pestering me. I tried to get them myself, but they're too quick for me."

Bella tried not to scoff. "So you want me to do it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "The mighty witch is no match for a couple of vermin, eh?"

The witch narrowed her eyes at Bella, growling. Immediately, the girl's show of bravado vanished, and she got on the floor before the witch. "Sorry," She mumbled quickly. She was reminded of what happened the last time she spoke against the witch, and she didn't want a repeat.

"Hm, that's better," The witch sneered. Looking up Bella, she then said, "You're a forest fairy, aren't you?"

When Bella nodded, she said, "You fairies can talk to animals, then. In that case, you could prove useful to me."

Bella nodded slowly, grumbling.

"Go and get those rats," The witch commanded to her. "Bring them to me as a snack."

Bella nodded once more, and was about to leave when the witch said, "And don't try and run off. You can't hope to get out of these woods and back to your fairy valley."

Bella bit her lip, her muscles tensing as she fought the urge to whirl on the witch and attack. But, she reminded herself that she would only be hurting herself, and reluctantly muttered, "Yes, ma'am."

With that, she headed off to accomplish the witch's task.

* * *

A new routine followed after this. Whenever the witch wanted her, Bella would be let out of her cage to do whatever menial matters the hag was too lazy to do herself. These "chores", as Bella came to call them, included rooting out vermin and cleaning the caves.

A couple times, she tried to either escape or kill the witch. These attempts failed miserably, and only resulted in excruciating punishment. The witch was adept at hurting her victims in brutal manners, and Bella guessed she had had practice. While she knew reflections couldn't die in the mirror realm, the pain was enough to get her to submit.

Throughout this time, Bella had thought that, after a few days, she would escape. Hoped that the witch would make a mistake that would allow her to gain an advantage and either kill the hag, or find her way to freedom.

But as the days dragged on, and she came no closer to freedom, Bella began to wonder to herself: would she ever truly escape?

And moreover, did her family back in the valley even care?

* * *

 _Read and review.  
_


	35. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 8)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You are enjoying this, aren't you?_

 _I am a burglar: Fine._

 _Guest: Really? I considered this more of a side-story than anything; didn't think too many people were interested._

* * *

It had been a few months since Bella's exile, and nobody had heard from her during that time.

When the girl had first been banished, many of the fairies were overjoyed that the fairy, whom they had all considered a self-centered and irresponsible brat, was finally out of their hair, even if only temporarily. But with her gone, the valley now seemed... quiet.

The wolves who Bella had befriended remained in the dark of the woods, out of sight of the fairies. The three fairy types, for the most part, simply remained in their regions. Without Bella, there was little reason to go and visit the other fairies. The valley felt vacant.

Eventually, Sam went over to his siblings to talk with them. David and Isabella were chewing on some wild grapes in the woods, while Janet was brushing Mirror Samson's hair.

"So, what do you think?" He had asked them, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It's been exactly four months since Bella was last seen. Thoughts?"

"I've never been happier," David replied, his mouth filled with grapes. "Ever since she's been out of our hairs, we can just kick back and relax."

"Yeah, I agree," Isabella replied. "This valley's never been more peaceful."

Sam twiddled his fingers. "Yeah, I guess," He mumbled, somewhat uncomfortable. "But. . . aren't you worried?"

Before David or Isabella could answer, Mirror Samson said, "Oh, I'm worried alright. Worried about the poor souls who have been burdened with dealing with her."

"Yeah," Janet said, removing her hand from Mirror Samson's head. "Who knows what she's doing to those poor fairies she's living with."

"Oh come on," Sam said, waving them off. "It's not like Bella's one to cause trouble for no reason."

He paused when he saw the four staring at him with raised eyebrows, and he added, "Well, she does, but she's not _that_ petty."

"I bet you already has those fairies under her thumb," David grumbled. "Probably forcing them to do whatever she wants, and treating them like her slaves."

* * *

Mirror Isabella was running, running as fast as she could.

It had been a few months since she had been captured by the witch. Those few months had been the absolute worst of her life, worse than her stay at the hospital. She was scarcely fed, and when she was, it was the carcasses of the witch's last meal. And she spent the majority of her time locked up in a dingy cell unless the witch wanted her for something.

So, when the witch had sent her out to collect the rats lurking about in the caves, Bella had mustered her courage and made a run for it as soon as she thought she was out of the witch's sight. Then, she had exited the cave and fled into the forest.

Bella had hoped that, by the time the witch realized she was gone, she would be too far away for the witch to catch her.

She was wrong.

While dashing through the thick woods, she had heard the sound of feet scraping against the ground, pursuing her. This was followed by a throaty growl, a growl of pure rage.

Bella realized, too late, that she had been found.

Before she knew what hit her, she was slammed up against a tree with such force she felt like her body had been broken. She crumbled onto the ground, too injured to move.

Normally, such an attack wouldn't have hurt her so much. But her treatment in the caves had left her extremely weakened. Her powers had practically been wasted away to be useless. She dared say she was as feeble as a human now, if not weaker.

As she forced herself up onto her knees, she found herself staring up into the eyes of the witch. The ancient hag stared down at her, looking like a predator that had trapped its prey.

"So, my little pet has tried to escape?" The witch snarled angrily.

Bella hoped there was still time to beg for mercy. "N-No," She pleaded, getting on all fours before the witch. "Please. . . don't be angry. Have mercy on me."

"Mercy?" The witch asked, stroking her chin. She looked deep in thought, and Bella was hoping she was considering it.

But then, the witch sneered, "I'm afraid I don't know what that word means."

With that, the witch unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity that shocked Mirror Isabella to her core. The fairy was slammed on the girl, writhing with agony as the sparks of electricity flew off her body, her screams echoing into the night.

"You've disappointed me, girl," The witch growled as she tormented Bella. "And here I thought you were useful. Ah, it seems I'll just have to teach you a lesson. . ."

And with that, she continued the torture.

* * *

"Now, Mirror Isabella Crystal, have you learned something today?"

"Yes, my master."

"What have you learned?"

"Never to disappoint you."

"Good. And what shall you never do again?"

". . . I will never try to escape ever again."

"That's a good girl," The witch said, rapping her hands against Mirror Isabella's cage.

The young girl sat obediently inside the cage, looking like an abused animal. Her head was lowered, concealing her face. Her dirty hair was stricken with mud and dirt. She didn't dare look at the witch.

The witch turned around and hobbled away, satisfied, leaving Mirror Isabella alone.

As the young fairy sat in her cell alone, she could feel her soul and spirit begin to tear. Any spark of hope inside of her was flickering out.

For once, she meant what she had said. She would never try to escape again.

* * *

 _Four Months Later  
_

"Happy Birthday, Isabella!" Was cheered at Isabella's birthday party. Isabella gave a small squeal of delight as she was presented with a cake made in the fairy dimension.

"To our little girl," Agatha said as she presented the cake to Isabella, who gave Agatha a small kiss on the cheek.

Sam rushed up and gave Isabella a hug. "I can't believe you're twelve now, Isabella," He said, his head nestled in his sister's chest.

"I feel like such a big girl now," Isabella replied, returning the hug. As she did, she whispered, "I wonder how our sister is celebrating _her_ birthday?"

* * *

Far in the forest, within a deep, dark cave, a young fairy girl cleaned the ground, her head clouded. Her life in the valley was but a distant memory to her.

For Mirror Isabella didn't even know it was her birthday today.

* * *

 _Read and review._


	36. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 9)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Uh-huh..._

 _I am a burglar: Sigh..._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Too bad the same can't be said for Mirror Isabella._

* * *

 _One Year Later  
_

The day had finally come. The day that everyone had been anticipating for months on end, for better or for worse, had finally arrived.

It had been a year since Mirror Isabella's banishment. And thus, her exile had been abolished. She was free to return home.

Sam had been counting down the days ever since he had watched his elder sister leave the valley to unknown places. He'd been watching the clock, watching the sun set and rise, and prepared himself for when the day would come when his older sister, who would now be twelve, returned to him.

The moment the sun rose on the day Mirror Isabella's banishment was up, Sam rushed into the rooms of his siblings to wake them up.

"David! Isabella!" He said, shaking them out of their sleep. "Get up! Today's the day!"

David and Isabella groaned as they awoke. "Sam, what are you doing?" The former asked, irritated. "Go back to sleep!"

"But Mirror Isabella's exile is over!" Sam said.

David and Isabella both froze in place. Their eyes both widened in unison, their jaws hanging open.

"...What?"

* * *

In the fairy valley, both fairies and humans had gathered in the forest to await Mirror Isabella's return.

"I can't believe this is happening," Amanda whispered to Mirror Samson as they stood among the small crowd at the edge of the valley. "She's coming back." Her hands were clasped together, both in anticipation and worry.

"Yeah, but what does that mean for the valley?" Mirror Samson pointed out, his eyebrows furrowed and his arms folded. He was staring off at the sky where he had last seen Mirror Isabella fly off a year ago.

Brenda, who was standing nearby, said, "Maybe she's mellowed out. It has been a year, after all."

All heads turned to Brenda, looks of disbelief on their faces. The young girl shrugged and mumbled, "It's plausible."

At that point, the Barrets arrived. "Alright, everybody, move aside!" David shouted as he and his siblings pushed through the gathering of humans and fairies. "The exile's family is coming through."

Amanda immediately rushed up to them. "Hey, you're here!" She said, jumping up and down excitedly. "So, today' the big day!"

"And the one we've been dreading," Isabella grumbled. She let out a sigh, and said, "Let's just get this over with."

"Yeah, I got it all planned," Janet piped up. "We wait here for Mirror Isabella to show up, we ask her how the year's been for her, we kiss and make up, we throw a big party, and we go on with our lives as normal. Sound sweet?"

"Sure thing," Amanda said, turning around to stare off at the edge of the valley.

The crowd waited there for a few moments, and Brenda said, "So, how long do you think we'll be waiting?"

"Eh, it shouldn't be long," Mirror Samson replied. "I bet Bella's been counting down the days for when her banishment is up. Knowing her, she's going to wake up this morning, and the first thing she'll do is pack up her stuff and come right back here."

With that, the crowd waited some more.

A few minutes passed, with nothing happening. Then ten minutes passed.

After another ten minutes had passed with nothing happening, Brenda snarked, "I guess she has a lot of things to pack, then."

* * *

Bella was lost.

Not physically, no. She knew full well where she was on the outside. But on the inside, she was trapped in a black void, blinded and bound by the eternal hellhole she had been trapped in, from which, as far as she could see, there was no escape.

Nothing had changed. She was still trapped in the witch's lair. Still the witch's prisoner, and now, her servant. The only thing that had changed was that Bella had stopped trying to resist, for she could see how hopeless it was.

She was no match for the witch's power. She was but a puppet for the witch to control now. She knew that any attempt to fight would only result in more pain for herself.

At the very least, now that she had stopped resisting, the witch had been... somewhat more reasonable. She was not _kind_ , not by any stretch of the imagination, but the abuse she had dolled out on Mirror Isabella during her first few months of captivity had decreased somewhat now that her prisoner had stopped fighting back.

Occasionally, she would receive a scathe. Sometimes, Bella had made a mistake that earned her her punishment. Maybe she hadn't succeeded in catching as many vermin as the witch had wanted, or perhaps she'd spoken when the witch wanted silence. Other times, the witch was merely in a sour mood, and had taken it out on Bella to alleviate her anger.

Currently, Mirror Isabella was sitting at the witch's 'table', if she could call it that. The witch stood at the other side, chewing on a piece of bone from her latest victim; Mirror Isabella hoped it wasn't the bone of a fairy.

"I do hate bones," The witch commented, flicking the bone onto the ground. "They're so hardened, and tough. Not unlike you, Mirror Isabella."

Bella flinched, but said nothing.

"But the thing about bones?" The witch continued on. "If you put enough pressure on them, they become weaker, and frailer. Then, they break, and they belong to you."

Mirror Isabella tensed as the witch's long claws scraped against the table.

"And though it took a while, I have done that to you," The witch said to Bella. "It took a year, but you are finally mine."

Mirror Isabella's blue eyes widened. Her mouth opened and she exhaled a large breath.

"A year?" She gasped, her ears twitching.

"Indeed," The witch said. "Have you enjoyed your stay?"

"A year has passed?!" Mirror Isabella said, standing up from the table. A ray of hope began to shine in her chest.

"Why yes, my darling," The witch said, somewhat baffled by Bella's reaction. "What is your point?"

"My exile is over!" Mirror Isabella exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I can go back!"

"What?" The witch asked, her eyes narrowing and a cold grimace appearing on her wrinkled lips.

"I was banished from my home," Mirror Isabella explained to the witch. "The fairies told me. . . that I was to remain in exile for a year. Once a year had passed, I could go back. And now, the year has passed."

The witch's eyes widened. She knew, now, what Bella was getting at. Her claws bit into the table at the news, and the witch bared her teeth.

Turning away from the witch, Bella said, "Well, it has been a fabulous time here, but I'm afraid I must be going. I have a family to get back to." With that, she started walking away.

The witch growled, and she pointed a crooked finger at Bella as she walked. Instantly, a barrier of vines sprang from the walls and ceilings, blocking Mirror Isabella's path. The fairy gasped and stumbled backwards.

 _"No. . ."_ She whispered.

The witch telekinetically spun Bella around to face her. "Listen to me, little girl," The crone growled, anger clear in her voice. "You will never leave this cave. You belong to me now."

"But my exile is over!" Mirror Isabella protested.

"It matters not," The witch replied apathetically. "This is your home now, and you will remain here from now on."

Mirror Isabella stared at the witch, a growing anger at this injustice burgeoning in her chest. The witch noticed this, and she summoned a ball of fire in the palm of her hand.

"Don't try it," The witch sneered. "You couldn't defeat me at full power. And now, you don't even have a fraction of it. You're as weak as a normal human."

Mirror Isabella glared at the witch, fire in her eyes. She wanted so badly to kill her, but she could see the truth in the witch's words.

Her powers had, indeed, decreased substantially during her imprisonment. She wasn't even sure if she had any power left. There was no way she stood a chance against the witch now.

As much as she hated to do so, Mirror Isabella submitted.

"Alright," Mirror Isabella grumbled, getting onto her knees. "I will stay."

The fire in the witch's palm vanished into smoke, and a satisfied smirk appeared on the witch's lips. "That's better," She said. With that, she got up and hobbled off, leaving Mirror Isabella alone in the room.

The young fairy girl lay on all fours, seething in rage and bitterness.

For the first time in her life, she begged for her family.

"Oh Sam, wherever you are," She whispered, a hopeless plea in her voice. "Come and rescue me."

* * *

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	37. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 10)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Aren't you the sadistic one._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Well, she would if she could get out of the witch's hair._

* * *

Back at the valley, the fairies and humans had been waiting at the valley's entrance for well over two hours. Alas, they saw no sign of Mirror Isabella showing up. By now, several people had left out of boredom.

"Are we sure this is the right day?" Brenda asked, looking at her watch.

"It has to be!" Sam replied. "I've been counting down the days since she left! Where is she?"

"Maybe she's too busy partying at wherever she's settled down in?" Janet suggested. "It's been a year; more than enough time for her to grow accustomed to her new living conditions."

"Bullcrap!" Mirror Samson snapped, shocking everyone with his obscene language. "Bella's not one to forget a day like this! It doesn't matter how much she'd be enjoying herself at wherever she's at; the moment her banishment is up, she'd come right back here. Unless. . ." He paused for a moment.

"-Unless she _can't_ come back," Sam finished, and his eyebrows furrowed in intrigue.

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It's not like Bella to just skip out on a day like this," Sam pointed out. "The only reason she'd not come is if she can't."

The children went silent, thinking things over. Eventually, Janet turned to Isabella and said, "Isabella, Bella is your reflection. If you have a mirror, couldn't you see her in it?"

Isabella shook her head. "Ever since she left, I haven't been able to see her whenever I look at myself in a mirror or any other reflective surface," She explained. "I just thought Bella was intentionally hiding herself out of spite. But now. . ."

Sam took a step forward. "Come on, you guys!" He said to the others. "I think Bella's in trouble! We have to go find her!"

He was about to take flight, but then saw that the others weren't budging. "Guys, come on," He said, gesturing them to follow him. "We don't have all day."

"We don't even know if Bella is in trouble," David said, folding his arms. "And even if she is, why should we help her? It's not like she's done anything to deserve it."

Sam groaned. "Come on, guys, do not be like this," He said. "I know Bella's been a. . . jerk, but she's still family."

"She's not my family," David grumbled under his breath, shifting his eyes.

Sam let out a loud groan. "Fine," He said. "I'll go by myself! You just tell our parents you let me leave the valley alone!" With that, he flew off into the air.

The others stood at the valley entrance, watching him leave. Eventually, David mumbled, "Dang it."

Turning to Isabella and Mirror Samson, he said, "Could you give us a flight? We're going to see if Bella is alright."

He almost vomited speaking those words.

* * *

After catching up with Sam, the group, which now consisted of the Barrets, the Crystals, Brenda, and Amanda, landed at the entrance of the nearby forest.

"Why are we here?" Brenda asked, scratching her head.

"I don't think Mirror Isabella would've moved too far away," Isabella explained. "She was only banned from the valley, after all; she'd probably keep right on the edge of it without breaking the terms of her exile."

"Makes sense," Amanda said as the group walked towards the forest. "All we have to do now is ask if anyone's seen her. And since Bella's not exactly hard to find, we should be back home in no time!"

* * *

Several hours later, and the group was still in the forest, no closer to finding Bella then when they had first arrived.

It had seemed like such a simple objective; ask any fairy if they'd seen Mirror Isabella, find her, and bring her home. But the longer they stayed in the forest, the group found themselves more lost than anything.

Most of the fairies they had asked had no idea what had happened to Bella. The closest answer the group had gotten was that, while most of the fairies had met Bella, the girl had simply vanished on her first day, and no one had seen her since. The group felt that some of the fairies weren't giving the full story, but they didn't have the time to press matters.

"This is so pointless," Isabella grumbled as the group left a nearby village in the forest. "We still have no idea where Bella is." The group slumped down on the edge of the woods.

"You think Bella just left this place?" Amanda asked. "Everyone's saying she just vanished. Maybe she moved to some other, far away place."

Sam grumbled. "Still, how could she forget this day?" He asked. "Even if she wasn't coming back, she could've at least given us some sign. Maybe sent a note, or something."

"She can't."

The group froze, and they turned to see a raven-haired girl standing on the edge of the village, wearing a blue dress.

"Who are you?" David asked, shuffling away from the fairy.

"My name is Lily," The girl introduced. "You're looking for a girl named Mirror Isabella, right?"

"Yes," Sam said, nodding. "How do you know?"

"Because I met her," Lily explained nonchalantly. "A year ago, when she first showed up here."

"Really?!" Sam asked, springing to his feet and approaching Lily. "Do you think you could help us find her?"

"Well, I would, but. . ." Lily trailed off, scratching the back of her head and staring over Sam's shoulder into the dark forest. There was an uneasy look on her face.

"But what?" Sam asked, confused.

Lily bit her lip. "I know where your friend is, but I wouldn't go after her if I were you," She warned the group. "She's as good as dead."

"Tell us where she is!" Sam shouted at her, louder than he would've liked.

"It's not where she is that's the problem," Lily whispered. "It's _who_ she's with that's the issue."

The group froze, a confused look on their faces.

Lily shifted her eyes, and whispered, "Follow me," Before turning and heading back towards the fairy village.

After a moments hesitation, the group followed her.

* * *

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	38. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 11)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: I sense sarcasm._

 _I am a burglar: Sigh..._

* * *

When the group reached Lily's house, the young fairy girl led them into her bedroom. Once inside, she turned on her laptop, gesturing for the group to crowd around her.

"Look, I hope you have something relevant to offer, here," Mirror Samson said to her. "If not, we're gladly leave."

"Be patient," Lily said to the group as she continued typing. "I know what happened to your friend."

"She is _not_ our friend," David corrected. "But anyways, what happened to her?"

"Exactly a year ago, on the same day, I happened to come across the kid," Lily explained to the group, turning to face them. "She'd come here hoping to find a place to stay, but unfortunately for her, the village people weren't too friendly. She'd made a bit of a name for herself as the resident psycho."

Sam grumbled. "So what happened then?"

"Well, I took enough pity on the girl to try and approach her and strike up a conversation," Lily continued. "But little Mirror Isabella wasn't in the mood. Probably thought she was going to get picked on again. Shame; I was actually going to tell her she could've stayed at my place. Would've been far better than what she chose instead."

That got the group's attention. "What _did_ she choose?" Sam asked, intrigued.

"She decided to walk into that creepy forest," Lily said, gesturing to the dark patch of wood outside her window. "I tried to warn her, but she wouldn't listen. Oh well."

"Oh well?" Sam asked, perturbed. "What do you mean, 'oh well'? What happened?!"

Lily immediately finished typing in the name on the computer, bringing up the search results.

" _That_ happened!" Lily shouted, pointing at the image that was cropped up on the screen for everyone to see.

The group recoiled in horror. On the computer screen were several images of what had to be the most hideous, disgusting crone they had ever seen in their lives. The thing had blue skin, wrinkled features, decayed teeth, and sunken in eyes.

"What is that thing?" David asked, swallowing the bile crawling up his throat.

"That thing is _Black Annis_ ," Lily revealed to the group. "Old, ugly, and with a nasty personality to boot. Oh, and it's from the human dimension, too."

Janet squinted her eyes at the creature. "Hey, I think I've seen that thing before," She said. "When I was younger, I liked reading fairy tales. That creature showed up in a few of them. Scared me to death, but I didn't think she was real."

"That's no fairy tale," Lily replied. "I should know."

"Getting off-topic, here!" Sam reminded the group. "What is this 'Black Annis'."

"Horrible witch," Lily explained, shuddering. "Eats small animals, humans, and fairies, especially children. I think she found a mirror into this world and took up residence in the dark forest some time ago. Poor Mirror Isabella didn't know what she was walking into."

"And why didn't you tell her?!" Sam shouted, bordering on panic.

"I tried to, but she wouldn't listen," Lily pointed out. "And there was no way I was going into that forest. Unlike Mirror Isabella, non-reflected fairies can actually die in the mirror realm."

"Oh, well then that's good," Amanda said. "Since Mirror Isabella can't die in this realm, then she shouldn't be in any danger."

Lily bit her lip. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," She said, twiddling her fingers. "Black Annis doesn't let anyone walk out of her forest in one piece. And since nobody's seen your friend since she walked into that forest. . . I think she would've _preferred_ death at this rate."

The group gasped in horror, especially Sam. "We have to go rescue her!" He shouted.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Lily replied. "You're nothing but insects to Black Annis. No way a bunch of kids are going to be able to do anything to harm her. You'd just be digging your own graves by walking into her forest. I'm sorry, but your friend is a goner."

The group froze in place, letting Lily's works sink in. Sam looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.

After a few seconds, David shrugged. "Oh well, we did the best we could," He said nonchalantly. "Come on, guys, let's go." With that, he started heading out the door.

"David!" Janet exclaimed, glaring at her brother.

David turned around. "What?" He asked, returning the glare. "It's not like we owe her anything. The only person she has to blame for being in this mess is herself."

"But we can't just leave her!" Sam pointed out.

"You're only saying that because you're family!" David retorted. "Face it, Sam; if she wasn't your sister, you wouldn't be defending her right now!" He was joined by Isabella, Brenda, and Amanda.

"Look, Bella can't die in this realm," Amanda pointed out. "Black Annis can. And she's very old, anyways; I doubt she has long to live. Just give it time, and Bella will find her own way out of that forest."

"She's had a year to do that," Janet mumbled. "I don't see any signs of her getting out."

"We're just wasting time," David said. "Let's just go home." With that, he, along with Isabella, Brenda, and Amanda, left the room, leaving Sam, Janet and Mirror Samson.

"Well, I guess it's done then," Mirror Samson said, rubbing the back of his head. "Bella's on her own."

Sam turned to look at him. "No she's not," He said, a determined look on his face. "She has us."

"Yeah," Janet said, joining Sam's side. "Let's go and take that witch down."

"I must warn you, the chances of defeating Black Annis and saving Mirror Isabella is next to nil," Lily pointed out.

"As long as we got a chance, that's good enough," Sam said, his fists glowing with blue energy. "Now let's go and save my sister!"

* * *

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	39. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 12)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Sigh..._

 _I am a burglar: Sigh..._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: She was introduced, like, in the third chapter of this story arc._

* * *

About a half hour later, Sam, Janet, and Mirror Samson were wandering through the darkened forest, far from the fairy village.

"Did you give a full scan of the forest?" Sam asked his reflection, who nodded. Prior to setting out, Mirror Samson had flown into the air and examined the area from large area from above, out of sight of the witch.

"I have the cave's location," He said to the two. "It's not too far away. I'm just surprised the witch hasn't noticed us, yet."

"Well, she's going to eventually," Sam pointed out. "Thus, two of us are going to quietly sneak into the cave, while a third stays out to distract the witch. We get Bella, escape, and get the heck out of there."

"Great!" Mirror Samson said. "So, who's going to distract the witch?"

His eyes widened when both Sam and Janet turned to face him, a smirk on their lips. It took only a few seconds before he realized what they were planning.

"You can't be serious," Mirror Samson said, his head darting from Sam to Janet. "You really cannot be serious. You got to be joking! You want _me_ to do it!"

"You're the only one of us who can't die," Sam pointed out. "Thus, you stand the best chance of distracting the witch the longest."

"Yeah, but. . ." Mirror Samson paused, realizing he didn't have a counter-argument.

"Alright," He groaned. "But you two owe me for this."

"I'll pay you off with my daily allowance," Sam promised him. With that, he and Janet set off into the forest.

"Great," Mirror Samson said. His eyes then widened when he realized something.

"Wait. . . you don't have an allowance!" He called out. But by then, Sam and Janet were already gone.

Mirror Samson sighed. "The things I do for my siblings," He grumbled. With that, he turned around and began walking straight towards the cave.

"Hey, Black Annis!" He called out to try and draw the witch's attention. "You hungry? Hungry for fairy meat? Because I got more than enough to satisfy your hunger, you big old ugly witch!"

The trees and bushes began to bristle, and Mirror Samson knew his plan had succeeded.

Within moments, he saw the witch descend from the trees above, landing in front of him. "Well, well, well," She sneered, grinning maliciously as she clasped her claws together. "What have we here?"

Mirror Samson gulped as he faced the witch.

"I hope those two get Bella quickly," He silently prayed.

* * *

Sam and Janet rushed through the forest in the direction of the cave. From a distance, they could hear Mirror Samson call out to the witch, and also heard the sound of the witch entering the fray.

"Mirror Samson's not going to last long against her," Janet pointed out. "Can you find Bella's location?"

Sam stopped. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, and a blue misty trail appeared, leading the two to an entrance to the cave.

"That's Bella's trail," Sam pointed out. "She's in there, alright. Now, we just have to-wait a second."

"What is it?" Janet asked.

"I'm picking up on more fairy trails," Sam whispered, looking around. "And. . . human trails. We're not the only ones here."

Sam and Janet froze, and they listened closely for any strange sounds. Sam heard the sound of a twig snapping, and he whirled in its direction. In the darkness, he could see four figures, wandering through the forest.

Sam's hand began to crackle with blue lightning, and he shouted, "Come out of the darkness where I can see you!" He raised his hand, prepared to fire the lightning blast if need be.

The four figures turned in Sam's direction. "Sam?!" One of the voices shouted in surprise.

Sam froze. "Wait a minute," He whispered, recognizing the voice. "Isabella?!"

The four figures stumbled out into view, and Sam and Janet gasped when they saw it to be David, Isabella, Brenda, and Amanda. The four seemed just as surprised to see Sam and Janet in the forest.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, surprised.

"What are _we_ doing here?" Amanda asked, just as taken aback. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"We're saving Bella; what else?" Janet replied.

"No, that's what we were doing," David grumbled, pushing past Isabella and Brenda. "I can't believe you didn't just go home like I said so."

"Wait, you said you were going home," Sam pointed out, confused. "That you didn't want to save Bella. Why are you here?'

"You really thought we were going to abandon Bella?" David asked, raising an eyebrow. "No, the moment that Lily girl told us about what happened, we were already forming a plan to go in and rescue her."

"But we didn't want to involve you, so we said we were leaving," Brenda explained. "We hoped that you'd follow suite and go back to the valley, and by the time you realized we were gone, we'd have already saved Bella."

"But it seems we underestimated your good-heartedness," Isabella said, rolling her eyes. "So it appears we're all in this together."

"Indeed," Sam said. "In that case, you might want to go and help out Mirror Samson. He's fighting Black Annis."

"He's _what_?!" Isabella cried out in horror. Sam and Janet merely shrugged in response.

"Crap!" She groaned, and turned to David and Brenda. "Come on!" She shouted. "Let's go save our brother. The rest of you, go and get Bella!"

With that, David, Isabella and Brenda rushed off to help Mirror Samson, while Sam, Janet and Amanda remained.

"Come on!" Sam said to the three, and with that, they rushed into the cave to go and find Bella.

* * *

Back in the village, Lily leaned on the windowsill, staring out at the dark forest where she had watched as Sam, Janet and Mirror Samson had vanished into, no doubt to certain doom.

For the life of her, Lily didn't know why they'd done it. To risk their lives on a borderline suicide mission, to try and save someone who was as good as dead anyways, and vanquish an evil that they didn't have the power to defeat. It was ridiculous.

Lily paused as she stared at a picture of her with her parents on the dresser. For a moment, she wondered what would happen if she got kidnapped by Black Annis. Would her parents abandon her?

No, they wouldn't, she realized. They would risk their lives to save her, even if they'd die at the hands of that witch. She stiffened at the thought.

"It is ridiculous," She whispered to herself. Then, her eyes widened and she whispered, "But I understand why!"

With that, she rushed down the stairs to go get her parents, the village leaders, everyone.

For on that day, Lily was going to do the most ridiculous thing she'd ever done.

She was going to help save Bella and stop Black Annis.

* * *

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	40. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 13)

_I am a burglar: Sure thing._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: None taken._

* * *

The outcome of the fight between Mirror Samson and Black Annis had been set in stone. There was no question of who would emerge the victor between the two.

Mirror Samson narrowly dodged the electrical blasts fired from the tips of Black Annis' fingertips, using the large forest as a way to find cover. He tried to return fire with his own energy-charged blasts, but the witch deflected them easily.

Even as he fought, Mirror Samson knew there was no way he could win alone. Even though he knew he could not be killed in the Mirror Realm, his powers were on a much lower level than the witch. The best he could hope for was to provide enough distraction until the others saved Bella, and then hopefully he would be able to escape. If he didn't, he may very well be the witch's new slave.

Finally, he managed to dodge behind a tree. The witch launched a few strikes, but the tree provided cover.

Eventually, the witch stopped. "You're not from around here, are you?" She sneered at the young fairy. "The fairies who live here know very well to stay out of this forest. Let me guess; you come from the same place as Mirror Isabella."

Mirror Samson's body tensed as the witch mentioned his sister's name. Sensing this, Black Annis continued.

"I take it you know that girl?" She interrogated. As she spoke, she tried to find the right angle to launch an attack on the unsuspecting fairy.

"I bet you came here to rescue her," She said in a mocking tone. "Wanted to play hero. But there are no heroes in this forest. It's only, my prey, and my _slave_."

"She won't be your slave for long," Mirror Samson retorted, finding the will to speak.

"Oh?" The witch said. "Then I take it you would like to replace her? In that case, I have a nice cage waiting for you back in my cave."

Fury erupted in the young fairy, and he suddenly dove out from his hiding place. "Never!" He shouted, launching a blast of electricity from the palm of his hand towards Black Annis. He prayed that the attack would catch her off-guard.

To his shock, the witch caught the ball of electricity in her hand. With barely any effort, she rebounded the electric ball right back at Mirror Samson, launching him backwards. He slammed into a tree and crumpled onto the ground, dazed.

"Young fool," The witch whispered, staring down at Mirror Samson's body. "Giving up your hiding place to launch a futile attack."

Mirror Samson struggled to get to his knees. Approaching quickly, the witch kicked the young boy in the stomach, sending him crashing onto the ground once more.

"Now, young fairy, you will know pain," The witch growled. Her hands began to sparkle with electricity, and she prepared to bombard the fairy with it.

"No!"

The witch paused her attack, and turned around to the source of the new voice. The moment she did, she was caught in the face by a crystal shard, sending her head whipping to the side. The crystal shard flew past her and embedded itself in a tree.

The witch raised her hand towards her cheek, feeling warm blood dripping from her wound. Her eyes widened as she realized she had actually been _hurt_.

"Who?" She whispered, aghast. "Who dares to strike me?! To _hurt_ me?!"

She turned around, eyes ablaze with fury, only to be punched in the face by a granite fist. She stumbled backwards, and an electric blast caught her in the stomach, causing her to crash onto the ground.

The witch looked up, furious and surprised. There, standing before her, were David, Isabella, and Brenda.

"We dare," David said, rubbing the fist that he had used to punch her. "You witch with a capital B."

Lying nearby, Mirror Samson asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Saving Bella," Isabella replied. "Which would've gone a lot smoother if you hadn't shown up. Now get out of here before you get hurt."

"No," Mirror Samson said, standing to his feet. "This witch is powerful. You guys can't take her on your own."

"The boy is right," Black Annis said, standing to her feet as well. "You have a better chance running. Not that it'll do you any good; you're going to die regardless."

"If we're going to die, we may as well take you with us," David shouted, pointing a finger at Annis. "Come on!"

The witch grinned. "Suite yourselves," She sneered.

With that, she unleashed a volley of lightning at the group.

* * *

As the fight in the forest raged on, Sam, Janet, and Amanda had found the entrance to the witch's lair and entered it. Currently, they were in the witch's lair, wandering through the dark corridors of the cave.

"Yeesh, this place gives me the creeps," Amanda said, shivering. "Let's just get Bella and go."

"Hopefully, the others will still be alive at that point," Sam added, his eyes glowing brightly to illuminate the cave.

Janet let out a squeak as several rats skittered through their feet as they walked. "Gross," She whispered, huddling next to Amanda. "To Think Bella's had to stand this for a year."

Suddenly, Sam halted the girls. "Stop," He whispered to them as they reached a room in the lair. The three could hear a scraping noise coming from within the room.

Sam pushed the girls behind a corner, and peaked out to observe the room. Inside, he saw none other than Mirror Isabella Crystal, on her knees. She was trying to capture the rats scurrying through the cave, using what little magic she had left.

Sam couldn't believe his eyes. Bella looked nothing like the girl he had known her as a year ago. She looked meek, and helpless, and weak. Her powers appeared to be totally drained, and she had to use her hands to catch the rats.

"Come on," She growled in frustration as one rat slipped through her fingertips. "Master's not going to be happy if she finds out I let the lot of you escape."

"Master?" Sam whispered to Amanda and Janet in shock. "Since when has Bella ever referred to someone as a master?"

"Looks like a lot has changed in one year," Amanda replied.

"Hey, who's there?" Mirror Isabella asked, hearing the light whispers coming from around the corner. "Is it you, master?"

Sam turned to the two girls, bewildered. She didn't even recognize their voices.

Deciding to show himself, Sam walked out in full view of Mirror Isabella. The fairy girl gasped in shock, her eyes wide.

"Bella, it's me," Sam told her. "Your brother, Sam."

Bella stared at Sam, her eyes squinted. She looked like she was trying to recognize him.

Finally, she whispered, "Sam? What are you doing here?"

"We've come to save you," Sam told her. As he did, Janet and Amanda walked out of the shadows, joining Sam's side.

Bella let out a gasp. "No, you can't be here!" She said, standing to her feet. "You're in my master's lair. Do you have any idea what she'll do to you if she finds you?"

"Yes," Janet said. "But it doesn't matter!"

"Yes, it does!" Bella retorted. "Go on, get out of here!"

"But what about you?" Amanda asked, stepping forward.

Bella bit her lip, and looked down. "This is my home, now," She told the three. "I can't go." With that, she got back on her knees and continued searching for the rats.

Sam stared down at Bella, saddened at the state his sister had been reduced to. At the same time, a boiling anger began welling up inside of him towards Black Annis for the torture she had no doubt inflicted on Bella to reduce her to such a state.

Stepping forward, Sam said, "Bella, you're coming with us whether you like it or not."

"The witch is my master now," Bella replied, not facing Sam. "I can't disobey her. I've tried to in the past, but it's hopeless."

"No, it's not," Sam argued. "We're going to free you, and take you back to the valley."

"Why?" Bella asked, finally turning to face Sam. "What's the point. Nobody wants me to come back anyways. I bet David and Isabella are back home, having the times of their lives without me."

"That's not true," Janet said, stepping forward. "They came to rescue you, too!"

"What?" Bella asked, turning to the brunette.

"Yes," Amanda said. "They came here to set you free. We thought they wouldn't come, but they did. They're in the forest, fighting off the witch! They do want you back."

"Well, maybe not that 'back', per se, but they do want you free," Sam added.

Standing up, Mirror Isabella pointed out, "If I come with you, Black Annis will be really angry."

"So what?" Janet asked. "We'll just kill her and go home."

Mirror Isabella's eyes widened at the statement. She scratched her chin, as if weighing her options.

Finally, she said, "Alright, I'll come with you. On one condition, though."

"What?" Sam asked, relieved that Bella would allow herself to be rescued.

"When we kill that witch, can I get one hit in?"

* * *

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	41. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 14)

_I am a burglar: Sigh..._

 _A-Plus Cassiopeia: Thanks for explaining what we already know._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah..._

* * *

In the dark forest, a spectacle of lightning and fire raged from within as the battle in Black Annis' domain grew in anger and intensity. The surrounding forestry had been twisted and dented as a result of the chaos that had transpired in its wake.

The witch's four opponents fought the witch brutally, determined to end the creature's wrath. Had they been alone, none of them would have stood a chance. But combined, they were giving Black Annis a hard struggle.

The witch howled in anger as Isabella slashed her across the back. Whirling around, the witch caught Isabella in the face with her iron claws, sending the young girl crashing onto the ground in a heap. The young girl coughed, feeling arm blood streaming from the open cuts in her face.

"Isabella!" Mirror Samson shouted in horror. Whirling on the witch, he angrily hurled a blast of energy at her. However, the witch caught it in her hand and sent the energy blast rebounding back on the fairy boy. However, he saw the attack coming and dodged out of the way in time.

While the witch was distracted, David rushed to Isabella's side. "Izzy, get up," He said, pulling the girl to her feet. The fairy was still stunned from the blow, holding a hand to her injured cheek to try and dull the bleeding.

"Mirror Sam was right; that witch is tough," She whispered to David. "We're going to have to form a strategy."

Black Annis, meanwhile, had turned her attention to Brenda. Summoning a lightning bolt, the witch sent it hurtling towards the girl.

"Oh no you don't!" Brenda shouted. She dodged past the lightning strike, with electrocuted a nearby tree.

Pointing a finger at the witch, Brenda shouted, "I've been hit with lightning once, and I'll let you know, I am not going through it again!"

The witch grinned. "Then perhaps you'd like some fire to play with, then?" She sneered.

Then, with a snap of her fingers, the witch set Brenda's jacket on fire. A shriek arose as the girl smelled her clothes burning up. Racing around in a panic, she tore her jacket off and threw it onto the ground, stamping it out.

The witch cackled, but froze when she heard Isabella shout from behind her, "Hey, you raggedy old hag!"

The witch grimaced, and turned to face Isabella, who was holding an ice ball in the palm of her hand. The fairy shouted, "You need to _chill out_!" And hurled the ice ball at the witch.

The witch raised an eyebrow. "You have got to be tricking me," She said nonchalantly. Raising her hand, she caught the ice ball in midair.

"You're going to have to do better than that, girl!" The witch sneered as she suspended the ice ball in midair, preparing to launch it back at Isabella.

Isabella smirked. "Oh, really?" She asked. With that, she clenched her fist tight.

Instantly, the ice ball exploded into a million icy shards. The ice shards went flying at the witch, piercing her skin before she could react. Black Annis let out a howl of agony as the ice shards ripped through her, blood streaming from the series of cuts in her skin.

The witch clenched her eyes shut, feeling the blood oozing out of her. Forcing her eyes open, she looked at the ice shards embedded in her skin.

"How. . . dare you," She growled in agony, trying to ignore the pain surging through her. She fixated her eyes on Isabella, her pupils glowing red with rage. "You _hurt_ me!"

"Well, what do you know?"

All heads turned whirled around in surprise, wondering who had spoken. Immediately, the five saw none other than Mirror Isabella, free. Behind her, Sam, Janet and Amanda watched on.

The witch gasped. "How did you get free?" She asked, bewildered.

"I had help," Bella replied casually, gesturing to the three kids behind her.

David, Isabella, Brenda, and Mirror Samson stared at Bella, their eyes wide. "Bella, what _happened_ to you?" Isabella asked, staring at her reflection's lithe, spindly and broken form.

Bella took a deep breath before answering with, "Something that you are lucky will never happen to you."

The witch bared her teeth in anger. "How dare you walk out of my cave without my knowledge, Mirror Isabella!" She growled in rage. "Have you forgotten who your master is so soon?"

"You're not her master anymore, Annis," Janet said to the witch. "By the laws of the valley, her banishment has been lifted, and she can rightfully return to her-"

"To Hell with your valley laws!" The witch interrupted, pointing an iron claw at the children. "I'll make you all pay for ever setting foot in my forest! You will all die!"

"The only one who shall die today is you, witch!" A new voice bellowed.

The witch's eyes widened, and she turned around. Her jaw dropped as she saw Lily standing at the scene of the battle. Behind her, nearly every village fairy was standing in the dark forest.

"You're days of killing is over, Black Annis!" Lily said, pointing a finger at the witch.

Sam jumped in surprise. "Whoa, how did you guys get here all of a sudden?" He asked, surprised. "And why?"

Lily shrugged. "I decided to do what was right," She said to him. "It took a bit of convincing, but I managed to get the other villagers to see my point of view as well. We're not going to hide any longer."

Black Annis stared at the mass of fairies that had gathered. For once, she felt a twinge of fear as she felt as if, for once, she was no longer in power in her own domain.

The fairies turned to the witch. "We should've done this long ago," Lily said. "Everyone, let's kill the witch!"

The fairies began to march towards Black Annis. Immediately, the witch hissed before whirling around and fleeing in the opposite direction. With stunning speed, she dashed into the darkness of the forest. To keep the fairies from following her, she summoned a blockade of trees and vines to block her path.

The kids and the villagers rushed towards the blockade. "She can't get away from us!" Mirror Isabella declared.

Turning to the other villagers, she said, "Light your torches, everyone. We're having a witch hunt."

* * *

 _Read and review.  
_


	42. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 15)

_I am a burglar: Uh-huh..._

 _Al Drin Hoshizora: I was wondering when you'd connect the dots (for the record, though, Black Annis is the name of a real folklore character)._

 _Guest:...What?_

* * *

After the fairies had broken through the witch's blockade, they had quickly besieged her lair. Within moments, dozens of fairies were pouring into the cave, scouring every corner for the dreaded Black Annis. Having spent a year in the cave, Mirror Isabella led most of the fairies in navigating through the witch's lair in search of her.

"This is her diner," Mirror Isabella said as they reached the largest room in the dark corridors. There, the fairies saw piles of bones scattered abroad, no doubt from the witch's past victims.

"Sick," Amanda said, clasping her hand over her mouth to keep from hurling.

Isabella pushed past the rest of the group. "Where is that witch, anyways?" She asked, her fists clenched. "I'd like to peel off her wrinkles."

A few fairies emerged from another corridor. "Nobody's been able to find her," One of them explained. "It's as if she's vanished."

"No!" Mirror Isabella shouted, upset. "She can't just get away after all she's done! She has to pay!"

Lily, who was standing next to the Crystals, scratched her chin, deep in thought. Turning to David and Janet, she said, "You two, you're from the human realm. If you were currently stuck in a dimension you didn't belong in, and everyone there was trying to kill you, what would you do?"

"I'd find a mirror and high-tail it out of there," David said bluntly.

Sam's eyes widened, and he snapped his fingers. "Of course!" He said. "Black Annis must be searching for a mirror so she can return to the human realm!"

"But the only mirrors here are in. . . the village," Lily said, her eyes widening in horror.

As realization flooded through the villagers, the Crystals and Barrets immediately turned and dashed past the crowd to exit the cave. They knew immediately where Black Annis was headed, and they also knew that they didn't have a lot of time to stop her.

"If Annis reaches one of those mirrors, who knows where she'll go!" Isabella pointed out to her siblings as they pushed past the crowd. "We'll have lost her for good, and she'll just continue terrorizing whichever area she ends up in!"

"I don't need to be told what's at stake here," David said, running after her. "As soon as we get out of this cave, you and Sam fly us to the village!"

"Copy that!" Sam shouted.

* * *

Far away from her lair, Black Annis slunk out of the Dark Forest and into the fairy village. After tricking the fairies by turning in the direction of her cave, the witch had actually sneaked through the woods and gotten past the distracted crowd. Now, she had made her way to the mostly empty village.

"Those simply-minded fools," The witch said to herself. "They're too busy searching my lair to notice that I've gone. By the time they figure out I've left, I'll have vanished back into the human world without a trace."

As the witch strode casually towards the nearest house, a voice from above her called out, "Leaving so soon, Annis?"

The witch stopped in her tracks. Growling in annoyance, she turned and looked up to see who had spoken. Her vision turned crimson when she saw the Crystal and Barret children, along with Amanda and Brenda. Sam was carrying Janet and Amanda, Isabella was carrying David and Brenda, and Mirror Samson was carrying Bella.

The witch glared up at the children as they hovered above her. "Decided one thrashing wasn't enough?" She called up to them. "Come back for more, eh?"

"You aren't getting away this time!" Mirror Samson shouted back to her.

The witch's eyes landed on Bella, who was holding onto Mirror Samson to keep in the air. "Your powers still haven't returned to you, young lady," Black Annis taunted. "Can't even fly on your own. You should've stayed back with the crowd."

"My powers will come back as soon as I'm back in the valley!" Mirror Isabella retorted. "But first, I'd like to see that bony little neck of yours snapped like a twig!"

The witch let out an outraged roar, and she immediately began hurling bolts of electricity into the air at the children.

"Oh, snap!" Sam shouted, and the Crystal children began dodging around the lightning bolts as they zipped past them. The witch continued hurling more volleys of electricity at the children at lightning speed, trying to keep the children from going on the offensive.

"You're going to have to try better than that, witch!" Isabella jeered as she dodged past another lightning bolt. A few seconds after she had spoken, though, a lightning bolt struck her chest. Letting out a yelp of pain, Isabella whirled backwards, inadvertently dropping David and Brenda in the process. The two children screamed in sudden fear as they dropped out of the air and landed on the ground, their senses knocked out from the fall.

Once she had stopped spinning, Isabella looked down at David and Brenda's dazed forms lying on the ground. "Shoot!" She shouted, and was about to fly down towards them when Black Annis unleashed a more powerful lightning bolt that sent the young girl flying into one of the houses, knocking her out cold.

"Isabella!" Mirror Samson shouted as he saw his sister land onto the ground, unconscious. Whirling on the witch furiously, he used his free hand to fire a blast of energy at the witch. However, Annis saw it coming and redirected it, forcing Mirror Samson to fly out of the way to avoid the blast. However, he had difficulty doing so, due to carrying Mirror Isabella.

"Bella, you're weighing me down," Mirror Samson groaned as he struggled to dodge another lightning blast. "You need to fly on your own."

"I can't," Bella retorted as she clung to her brother. "My power's have been debilitating ever since I got trapped in that witch's lair. Maybe if you'd come over to rescue me about a year sooner. . ."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have wandered into that forest in the first place," Mirror Samson snapped back, glaring at Bella.

In their distraction, the two hadn't noticed Black Annis conjure another lightning bolt. Before they could react, she sent it hurtling towards the two. The lightning bolt crashed into them, sending the two landing onto the ground with a scream of agony.

Black Annis cackled as the two hit the ground. Striding up to Bella, the witch rested her foot on the girl's stomach. "Your sharp tongue was your undoing, little girl," She sneered. "Now, I'll wipe you from existence, permanently."

The witch turned towards Isabella, who was still lying unconscious nearby. A grinned appeared on the witch's lips, and she aimed a crooked finger at the girl. The tip of her claw crackled with electricity as she prepared to fire a fatal blast of lightning at Isabella, killing both her and Bella at the same time.

"No. . ." Bella groaned, struggling beneath the witch's foot. However, she was far too weak to stop Black Annis.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed onto Black Annis' wrist just as she was about to fire. The witch's arm was jerked into the air, and the lightning bolt flew wildly off into the sky.

Black Annis let out a pained screech as her bony wrist was crunched by whoever had grabbed her. Looking down, she saw Sam, gripping her arm in an iron-like grip.

Sam was staring up at the witch, his eyes ablaze. "Don't you _dare_ harm my family," He growled. As he spoke, he twisted Black Annis' frail arm in his fist, crushing it even further.

The witch howled in agony. Her other arm shot out to slash Sam's face, but he caught it with his other hand and twisted it around in his hand, effortlessly breaking her arm, eliciting a pained roar from the witch. She landed on her knees, baring her teeth.

"This probably isn't close to the amount of suffering you've dealt out to others," Sam said as he continued to crush the witch's arms in his grip. "But I'm not as merciless as you are. Though I wish I were."

A howl escaped the witch's rotted lips as Sam snapped her wrist like a twig. Behind him, Janet and Amanda watched from afar, horrified, and yet at the same time, satisfied, at the sight before them.

"Your days of killing are over," Sam said to the witch, who glared up at him hatefully. Turning to face Mirror Isabella, he smiled and asked, "Want to do the honors?"

Mirror Isabella grinned. "Gladly," She said, pushing herself off the ground and onto her feet. The witch's eyes widened as she whipped her head in Bella's directions.

"No," She whispered, despite her pain. "You don't have the strength. . ."

Mirror Isabella narrowed her eyes at the witch. Pointing her finger at Black Annis' face, the tip of her finger began to sparkle with bolts of energy.

The witch's eyes widened as the tip of Bella's finger began to glow even brighter. Her mouth dropped, and she could only stare at the blue ball of energy in shock before it engulfed her.

A bright burst of energy flashed, temporarily blindly everyone and forcing them to cover their eyes. It lasted only a second before dying down, and the children uncovered their eyes to see what had become of the witch.

Black Annis lay on her stomach on the ground, her face hidden from the children. Hesitantly, David moved over and pushed the witch onto her back with a flick of his foot, revealing her face, or at least, what was left of it.

The children gasped in horror and recoiled at the sight of what remained of the witch's face. At that moment, they knew for sure that the witch was dead.

At that moment, the villagers rushed out from the forest and back into the village. "Finally, we made it!" Lily shouted, breathing heavily after running all the way back to the village. "I was worried we'd gotten here too late."

Lily's mother stepped forward. "Where's the witch?" She asked.

The Crystals stepped to the side, revealing the witch's corpse for the crowd to see. The villagers stared down at Black Annis' body, approaching it cautiously.

"Is she. . ." One of the villagers asked.

"Yes," Sam said. "She's dead. It's finally over."

* * *

 _Read and review._


	43. Held in Iron Hands (Pt 16)

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Sure._

 _I am a burglar: What?_

 _Guest: Well that was never the intention. Maybe they're EXTREMELY distance relatives, but that's just a headcannon._

* * *

After Black Annis' death, the village spent the day rejoicing. The witch had been the cause of much strife in the village ever since she settled into the Dark Forest, and the fairies were more than happy to have her out of their hair for good.

The witch's body, or what remained of it at least, was carried off by the fairies to be returned to the human realm. The Crystal and Barret siblings, in the meanwhile, stayed back at the village at the behest of the villagers, who wanted to thank them for ridding the village of the witch.

Within an hour or so, all the kids' hands were sore from all the fairies shaking them, and their backs were aching due to all the crushing hugs they had received. All of them, but especially Mirror Isabella, wanted to return to the valley more than anything else.

Finally, the time came for the kids to go home. They said their goodbyes to the villagers, and prepared to depart.

"We will never forget you," Lily called out to them as she stood at the front of the crowd, waving at the kids.

Brenda blew the villagers a kiss, and the children turned around and began to depart thenceforth from the villager. It had been an exhilarating day, but now, it was time to return home after a long absence.

The children had hardly left the village when they noticed multiple figures appearing out of the darkness. For a few tense seconds, the children feared that more dangerous creatures were arriving, but their worries ceased when the figures stepped into the light, and the children saw none other than the valley fairies, as well as some residents from Crystal City.

"What are you guys doing here?" Janet asked, raising an eyebrow.

Agatha walked up. "We were worried when you didn't return home," She explained to them. "So we went to see if you were okay."

"Oh, it's not us you need to worry about," David said as he pulled Mirror Isabella into view. "It's her."

Immediately, Ophelia and Pandora ran up to their friend. "Bella, you're here! We're so. . . holy molly, what happened to you?!" Ophelia shouted when she saw how pale, thin and frail Mirror Isabella looked.

Mirror Isabella grumbled. "Let's just say you probably should've come to visit me during my year-long exile," She muttered.

The fairies stared at Bella in confusion, and Sam said, "It's a long story; we'll explain to you all when we get home. But for now, can we _please_ just go home?"

Nobody argued with that.

* * *

As it turned out, Mirror Isabella's injuries that she had received while in the witch's clutches were more crippling than previously thought. It would take months for her to return to full strength, and even that would require intensive caring from her family.

During her healing period, Mirror Isabella spent much of her time bedridden, having to be fed and tended for by her family. The only times she left her bed was when she was going to the lakes to bathe, and even then Isabella had to attend her.

The fairy girl had never felt more helpless in her life. She felt like an infant who couldn't do a thing without her parents there to help her, and even more humiliating, it was her younger siblings who were playing the role of parent. At the same time, though, she also couldn't help but feel. . . wanted.

After having spent a year in the iron clutches of an uncaring witch, it was a relatively pleasant change for Bella now that she was surrounded by people who actually cared about her, or at least to an extent. It was far more than she had ever cared for most of them.

And it was during that time that Bella, perhaps for the first time, truly began to experience remorse.

True, she had felt flourishes of guilt from time to time, but only now did she truly begin to think of her bad actions, and regret them deeply. She thought of how easily she could have remained in that witch's grip, or worse.

And for the first time ever, she would act upon that guilt.

* * *

One day, Mirror Isabella requested for her siblings to gather all of the fairies in the valley into one spot. Then, she asked that Sam and Isabella help her walk so that she could meet the fairies. The two were mystified, but they agreed.

When Sam and Isabella had half-carried Mirror Isabella to the meeting area, she found nearly a hundred glowing eyes staring at her. For a moment, Mirror Isabella thought of the last time she had seen so many faces, which was the day she was banished.

Pushing the memory out of her head, Mirror Isabella inhaled, and stared at all of the valley fairies. She clasped her fingers together as she finally found the words to speak.

"I know you all must have very mixed feelings about seeing me here," She said to the valley fairies. "And some of you, maybe not so mixed. I'm sure quite a few of you probably wished I'd have stayed a prisoner in that witch's lair. I can hardly blame you."

Some of the fairies shrugged in agreement.

"But, I just want to say that, for all the horrendous things I have done in my life," Mirror Isabella paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. "I am sincerely sorry, and I once I heal, I want to make it up to all of you."

The fairies stared at Mirror Isabella warily, as if considering her words and how genuine they were.

"I know you a lot of you may not believe me," Mirror Isabella confessed. "And I know it may take a long time to earn even the smallest fragrance of your trust, but I'll endure it. But for now, I just need to heal. Good day to you all."

Turning to Isabella, Bella gestured for her to take her hand. Isabella did so, along with Sam, and the two helped her as she walked back to their cave, followed by the Barret siblings, leaving the fairies to ponder on her words.

As they walked, David ran up to Bella, asking, "Bella, did you really mean that?"

Bella turned to face David, and said, "Of course I did."

David was stunned to see not an ounce of trickery in the fairy's eyes. For once, Bella's eyes looked warm, and almost friendly.

Then, Bella did something expected. Breaking out of Sam and Isabella's grip, Bella suddenly twisted towards David and Janet, engulfing the two of them in a deep hug. David and Janet froze in shock as they struggled to comprehend their worst nemesis embracing them.

"Thank you for rescuing me from the witch's lair," She whispered into their ears. "Little brother and sister."

All the children's eyes went wide at that statement, but especially Sam's.

After a few moments, David and Janet smiled and returned the hug. "Thank you, Mirror Isabella," The two whispered back.

For the first time, Mirror Isabella actually felt like family to them.

* * *

 _ **End of Act II  
**_

* * *

 _End of the story, everybody. I honestly consider this one better than the previous installment. Honestly a little sad that it's finished, but every good story has to come to an end.  
_


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